


Snow In A Fruits Basket

by gurgi27



Series: Furuba [2]
Category: Fruits Basket (Anime), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 61,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7885762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gurgi27/pseuds/gurgi27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months have passed since Tohru recovered her memories and now it's winter. What strange things await the Sohma family? </p><p>Disclaimer: This story is set several months after the previous story, In Order To Remember. In writing this, I tried to dovetail from the more anime oriented story to a more manga oriented story. Hopefully they have blended together well. Fruits Basket belongs to its creator. I only used the characters to create a story that could have happened in the manga. This story begins where my last left off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly, reflected upwards by the fine layer of snow on the ground. Despite the thin covering of ice crystals, the slight breeze wasn't freezing, just cold. Inside the two-story house, it was quiet. No one had to go to school. No one had to be up for work. There was just the silence filled with the occasional crick of an insect humming to itself.

Suddenly, a loud yowl filled the house. "What the…!" Kyo Sohma looked out the front door in horror as the white stuff reflected the sun back into his copper/brown eyes. He slammed the sliding door shut and headed for the kitchen, his fists clenched, back hunched.

A very sleepy Tohru Honda left her room, rubbing her eyes. "Kyo? What's wrong?" She half stumbled down the stairs on her way to find the reason for Kyo's outburst, shivering a bit as a blast of wind slid through the crack of the not quite closed door. She closed it all the way and went in search of Kyo, not bothering to look outside, so great was her worry.

"Kyo," Shigure Sohma's voice came from the back of the house, "please try not to destroy the house!" But just to make sure his request wasn't being ignored, he ventured out into the open area between the living room and the kitchen. He was halfway into the dining room when Yuki Sohma groggily walked down the stairs and stumbled into him.

"What's going on," Yuki asked in a sleep-coated voice. But his question was answered by the sound of Kyo letting out another howl of outrage. "Oh." And he automatically turned around and headed back upstairs. "I'm going back to bed. Wake me when something important happens," he said.

Inside the kitchen, Tohru knelt to clean up the pieces of a broken bowl, the bowl Kyo had just dropped. He'd dropped it because he hadn't seen her until he'd run into her.

"I'm so sorry," Tohru apologized as she wiped up spilled milk and cereal, ignoring the milk on her own shirt that had spread in a lovely wet splotch.

Kyo stared at her for a moment before his senses came back to him. He'd been ranting and raving until he realized that Tohru was, once again, cleaning up after him. "You don't have to do that," he said in an almost accusatory voice. "I'm the one who broke the stupid bowl."

Tohru kept wiping up the spill, trying to avoid the glass shards. "It's not a problem," she said in response. "I feel partially responsible. If only I'd been watching where I was going I wouldn't have run into you like that, and you wouldn't have dropped the bowl. So, really, it's my fault."

"Really, you don't have to do that," Kyo tried again and knelt down to help her. "You might cut yourself or something." And as quickly as his anger had flared, it seemed to be gone as he helped Tohru mop up the spilled milk, gathering the broken pieces together. "Damn!" He quickly pulled his hand up to his mouth and sucked on his index finger.

"Kyo, did you cut yourself," Tohru asked, all of her worry transferred to Kyo's injured finger in an instant. "Let me see," she added, leaning forward to look at his cut.

"It's nothing," Kyo insisted as Shigure entered the kitchen to see the cause of the commotion. "I can take care of it. Don't worry about it."

"Let me see," Tohru insisted, pulling at his hand. "Kyo, you're bleeding." Some blood oozed out around his finger as he tried to pull it out of Tohru's reach. It wasn't that he minded, just that it really was insignificant, at least to his thinking. The cut wasn't even very deep.

Tohru leaned even more forward to get a better look, reaching for his escaped hand, and overbalanced. She put her hand out catch herself and had to suppress the urge to scream under the sound of more breaking glass. Her eyes went wide and her teeth almost rattled as she clenched down on them to keep the scream from escaping through her lips.

"Tohru," Shigure exclaimed at the same moment that Kyo flung his hand out, too late, to catch her.

Tohru made a funny sound in her throat, a stifled yelp of pain, as she pulled her hand up from the now crushed glass shards, blood oozing between her fingers.

"Now look what you did," Kyo said and went for the dishtowel.

Tohru stared at her now mangled hand in shock, glass shards sticking out from her skin.

"Um… Kyo," Shigure began when Kyo started to wrap the towel around Tohru's hand, "I don't think that will work. Hari really should look at that. You might do more harm than good, pressing those glass shards in more. And try to be a little more sensitive. It's not like Tohru did it on purpose."

Kyo gave him a look of disbelief. "You want me to just watch her bleed to death? I gotta stop the bleeding!" Anger swam through him as he looked up at his older cousin's surprised face.

"All right," Shigure gave up. "But, please, don't try to take the glass out yourself. Let Hari do it." And he went to the telephone, placing the call to Hatori Sohma, physician to the Sohma family.

The phone rang three times before anyone picked up on the other end. Then Shigure had to listen for a second when Hari picked up. "Hello, Hari," Shigure greeted his peer. "I was wondering if you could come down and look at Tohru's hand. She had a bit of a run in with a glass bowl." There was a pause. "No, Ritsu isn't here. I guess she was trying to clean up a spill and wasn't paying attention. No. Um… I think she'll need stitches. There's a lot of glass." He nodded a few times as he listened to Hari. "All right, thanks Hari." Then he hung up the phone.  
"Hatori's on his way over," he informed both Tohru and Kyo. "Until then, he advises us to try and stop the bleeding."

Kyo gave him an exasperated look. "What'd ya think I'm trying to do?"

"It's nothing," Tohru tried to persuade, pulling her arm back from Kyo's fingers. "Just a scratch! Nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. You don't have to go to so much trouble."

"You're bleeding all over the place," Kyo pointed out impatiently as he grabbed her wrist.

"Shouldn't you raise her hand so that it's higher than her head," Shigure inserted, trying to remember things he'd heard about these kinds of injuries and what to do about them. The last time something like this had happened, it had only been a long cut across the palm where Tohru's hand had met the broken edge of a cup of tea she'd tried to serve to Ritsu Sohma who had been visiting that day. It seemed like such a long time ago, though it was only probably less than a year since it had happened. Yuki had taken care of Tohru's hand that time. Even though his attempts weren't exactly the best, they'd been enough.

Kyo had decided to follow Shigure's haphazard advice and raised Tohru's hand above her head, which wasn't too hard since she was still sitting on the floor. He was taller than her anyway. He held her hand up by the wrist, pressing against the soft, fleshy part of her arm, which probably helped more than Shigure's advice had but still left a trail of blood running slowly down her arm. Her pajamas were ruined by the bloodstains.  
"I'm feeling a little dizzy," Tohru admitted after a few minutes while Shigure cleaned up the glass still on the floor and threw it into the trashcan.  
If Kyo hadn't been holding her arm up, he would likely have had some kind of panic attack, flailing his arms around while he wondered what he could do about the whole situation. "Dizzy, as in how dizzy," he asked instead, his voice edged with his usual brand of concern.

"Tohru," Shigure spoke up, "Do you think you could stand? It might be more comfortable for you to lie down on one of the couches."

"Sure," she replied and tried to push herself up, using the other hand. Kyo had to support her with his other hand because of the awkwardness of the situation, but she stood up without too much difficulty otherwise, and they walked with her to the living room, Shigure following behind, only a slight look of concern on his face while Kyo wondered if she'd pass out and what he'd do if she did. However, it only took a minute or two to have her safely installed on the furniture.  
Yuki finally walked back down the stairs, all traces of sleepiness gone from his face. After hearing several more outbursts from Kyo, not counting the first that brought him down in the first place, he'd given up on the idea of sleeping in. He looked up in surprise to see Kyo holding Tohru's dishcloth covered hand over her head while she lay down on the sofa, with Shigure standing over the duo. "What… happened..?"

Shigure looked up, his expression molding into a false guise of humor and ease. "Oh nothing out of the usual," he said cheerfully. "Tohru just managed to get into a small accident is all."

Yuki blinked at Shigure's comment but came closer to see for himself. "Miss Honda, you're bleeding." Horror etched across his face.  
"Don't worry about it," Kyo said crossly. "We've already got it covered. Hatori's on his way."

Yuki drew up short, not sure what to make of Kyo's boldness.

"Really, Yuki," Tohru added. "It's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine, just a couple of stitches."

Yuki had started to turn away but turned back quickly at the mention of stitches. "Stitches? Just what happened?"

"Oh, nothing much," Shigure waved him off. "Tohru was just cleaning up a spill in the kitchen and lost her balance. Her hand landed on a broken bowl and…"

"Who's," Yuki interrupted.

"Mine, if you have to know," Kyo said with a growl, knowing where this was headed.

Yuki straightened up stiffly. "So, it's your fault." The accusation in his tone was intense and he looked ready to do something to Kyo.

"No," Tohru interrupted his actions, horrified that he'd think that. "It was entirely my fault. Kyo cut his finger and I tried to help but fell over and cut myself instead, so really, it's my fault. And if I hadn't bumped into him in the first place, the bowl wouldn't have broken."

"Tohru, Tohru," Shigure began in a voice of long suffering, "you are truly an angel of goodness, though I highly doubt you or anyone else is to blame. Accidents will happen. But, to be safe, you might want to have Hatori look at your finger, Kyo."

"I already told everyone, it's nothing," Kyo sulked. "Just a scratch."

Shigure shrugged. "Well, we'll let Hatori be the judge of that. Speaking of which, he should be here by now."

And right on cue, the sound of Hatori's car pulling up came from outside, followed by the light crunch of shoes on snow, then a soft knock.  
Shigure walked over to the door and slid it open, feigning surprise. "Hatori, I wasn't expecting you so quickly."

"Don't lie," Hatori said dryly, well aware that the tone Shigure used reeked of falsehood. He slipped his shoes off as Shigure closed the door, keeping his doctor's bag in hand. That taken care of, he entered the main room where Tohru was. "Now, let's see what you've done to your hand."  
He set his bag down on the floor, kneeling to be at the same level as Tohru's body. "Kyo, you can let go now," he said, a slight hint of amusement in his eyes that didn't exactly reach his voice. His eyes didn't miss the amount of blood.

Kyo let Tohru go. "She got kind of dizzy," he explained, "so we brought her out here to lie down."

Hari nodded as he probed at the mess, the blood covered dishtowel discarded while he worked. "Once again, you've created quite the stir, Tohru," he began almost conversationally as he filled a needle with a local anesthetic to numb her hand while he worked.

Tohru hung her head, not minding the slight prick of the needle as it deadened her nerves. "I know," she said sadly. "I'm sorry to cause all this trouble."

Hari looked up from his assessment. "Don't worry about it. These things happen."

"I tried to tell her that," Shigure quipped, "but she's still not listening."

Hari turned to Yuki, totally ignoring Shigure. "I need a lamp," he instructed. "And something to put the glass into."

Yuki left the room in search of a lamp while Kyo fetched another bowl from the kitchen, a metal bowl. It didn't take long for Yuki to return with a lamp, which he plugged in.

"I hadn't expected snow this morning," Hari commented and Kyo turned away, reminded that it was the existence of the snow on the ground that had set him off in the first place. He wasn't sure why he'd dropped the bowl, other than because he'd been surprised. He should have kept a firmer grip on it.

Hari started to pull out glass fragments with a pair of forceps, placing the shards into the bowl. "It looks like you were lucky. I don't see any severed arteries. Considering the amount of blood on the towel, I'd began to wonder, but the lack of profuse bleeding is a good sign."

Yuki and Shigure hung several feet back, but close enough to see what was going on, very intent on Hari's movements, watching each dip of the forceps from skin to bowl. Listening to each clink of glass on metal as he dropped the shards into the bowl.

"Is this going to take a while," Kyo wondered out loud. "If so, I'm gonna go clean up the blood in the kitchen."

Shigure looked up. "Be sure to use bleach," he suggested.

"No duh. What do I look like, someone stupid?" Kyo retorted as he headed for the kitchen. "Maybe while I'm at it, I'll bleach my hair."

Shigure smiled serenely. "I wouldn't even suggest it," he said before Yuki could utter a snide comment.

"Better not," Kyo growled from inside the kitchen.

Hatori's smooth movements stopped as he straightened up. "Yuki, would you please dispose of those glass shards before someone else cuts themselves?" He handed the bowl to Yuki, who took it and left the room.

Tohru looked at her hand, now free of glass and felt a little dizzier. She tried her best to distance herself from the image, turning her head away.  
"I know it's not pretty," Hatori began as he pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a large cotton swab, which he dipped into the liquid, then moved across Tohru's mangled skin. "But nothing is seriously deep. I'll have to stitch some of the deeper cuts, but, so long as you keep your hand bandaged, the others should be fine."

He set the now tainted swab aside and pulled out a suturing kit, making sure that everything was sterilized before he began to stitch the worst cuts closed. Tohru felt the odd tugging on her skin, even if she couldn't feel the pain of it, and did her best to not look.

"You're hand writing may suffer for a while," Hari commented, "While your hand heals. And I highly discourage you from using it too much. Keep the bandage clean and don't do anything that would pull at the stitches. We can remove them in about a week."

Finished with the sutures, he put the kit aside and pulled out yet another bottle of liquid, which he applied over the stitches and cuts, some kind of antibiotic that smelled slightly sweet. That done, he wrapped gauze around her hand, taping it in place.

"Thank you," Tohru said as he finished. "Thank you very much, Hatori. How can I repay you?"

Hari smiled ruefully as he stood up, his instruments safely stored back in his bag. "Don't worry about," he said, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. He'd grown rather fond of her, in a fatherly kind of way, he supposed. "You can cook dinner for me sometime, when your hand is better. In the meantime, you did lose quite a bit of blood for such a small wound. I suggest you take time off today and rest. Loss of blood could cause dizziness, which might only lead to larger problems."

"Yes," Shigure spoke up. "Please, Tohru, let us take care of you today. After all, you take care of us so often that we need more practice."  
"I don't…. know about that," Tohru said uncertainly and Shigure gave her the classic pleading look. She caved almost instantly. "Okay," she said, head tilted down.

"That's a good girl," Shigure said warmly. "We can order out tonight."

Hatori shook his head at the both of them but didn't comment as he went to retrieve his shoes. "You might want to take some pain killers once the anesthetic wears off," he advised, his hand on the door.

A sudden knock caused everyone in the room to stop and turn towards the sound.

"Now who could that be, I wonder," Shigure said as he crossed over to stand by Hari. He slid the door open, letting in a slight breeze of cold air, revealing two young women standing in front of the door. "Why Saki, Arisa," Shigure said in surprise. "To what do we owe the honor?"

Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani entered the room, Shigure sliding the door closed behind them, Hari still staring at the two girls as if he couldn't believe his eyes, but he quickly schooled his emotions and face into a mask of indifference. The last time he'd seen them was back in autumn when Yuki had had his asthma attack in the garden, back when Tohru and Kyo had strep.

"Hey, Mr. Writer," Arisa said as she passed Shigure. "We figured, with it being such a nice day and all, that we'd invite Tohru on a picnic or something." She smiled behind her long, blond hair.

"Yes, a picnic," Hana echoed behind her. Shigure was the only one who called her Saki. Her dark hair matched her dark dress, which reached down lower than any Tohru usually wore. Such apparel, and her ability to sense "electrical waves" often sent teasing and scorn her way by her fellow classmates. They liked to consider her a witch, but both Tohru and Arisa knew better. And Hana had ways of dealing with those kinds of people.

"Oh, Hana, Arisa," Tohru called from her perch on the couch. "I wasn't expecting anyone this morning." She waved her bandaged hand in the air.  
Arisa looked to Tohru's hand, then to Hatori, everything clicking into place.

"Tohru," Hana spoke first, "what did you do to your hand?"

"Oh," Tohru said rather quickly. "Nothing. I was just cleaning up a spill in the kitchen and cut my hand. It's really nothing to worry about."

"Uh-huh," Arisa said skeptically and looked back at Hatori. "Hey, you're the one who kept an eye on her when she had pneumonia, aren't you?"

"Yes," Hari said evenly.

"So, why don't you tell us about Tohru's hand," Arisa prodded.

Hari looked surprised for all of two seconds before answering. "It's just as she said. She injured it while cleaning." Meanwhile, Hana had slid over to Tohru and was gently caressing her injured hand. "There were a few deeper cuts that I sutured but that is all."

"Huh," Arisa said, rocking back on her heels.

"You do look a little pale," Hana commented to Tohru as she sat down next to her.

"Well," Tohru said, a bit flustered. "There was a lot of glass." She looked to see if the bowl was still there but someone had already taken it away.

"Hey," Arisa started, "where's Orange-top? He's usually around when there's some kind of disaster."

"I heard that," Kyo growled from the kitchen.

"It's true, though," Yuki's voice followed after his.

"Is not!" Kyo let out a yowl of rage, followed by a few loud smacks and bangs.

"Kyo, Yuki, please," Shigure called out, "don't destroy the kitchen! You were supposed to be cleaning it, not ruining it!"

"So he is here," Arisa said smugly. "I'm gonna go check this out." She flashed a smile as she headed to the kitchen, which had suddenly gone silent.

"Did I hear you say something about a picnic," Tohru asked quickly, to fill the silence.

"Oh, yes," Hana said, seeming to come out of a trance. "We did. Arisa and I thought it would be a lovely idea to visit Kyoko's grave, then enjoy a delicious lunch somewhere on the grounds." She looked at Tohru's hand. "Of course, if it is too much of a burden, we'll both understand."

"Oh, no!" Tohru stood up quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly because she sank back down.

"Tohru," Shigure called out as she slid back, "Are you all right?" He looked around for Hatori but he had apparently slipped out when no one was looking. Akito probably would be yelling for him soon enough anyway. It was just as well. "Please," he continued, "don't overdo things today. Hari did warn you about pushing yourself. So, please."

XxXxXxXxXx

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Arisa was glaring at Kyo and Yuki, who both sported a couple of bruises where they'd made contact.  
"You two are absolutely hilarious," Arisa commented with a laugh. "Better then watching television."

Yuki immediately assumed a carefully taut pose, back straight, arms stiffly at his sides. Kyo slumped over, hands in his pocket, looking very surly at the ground. "What do you want," he asked in his most grumpy voice. "Can't you see we're busy?"

Arisa laughed. "Busy getting your trash kicked, you mean. You really are pathetic, aren't you?"

"Who you calling pathetic!" Kyo glared at her but didn't dare instigate anything more. Arisa, after all, had once been a member of the Yankee's, an all girl gang known to be rather ruthless and cutthroat. It didn't help matters that Arisa usually carried around a lead pipe, though he wasn't sure where she kept it.

"I believe that would be you," Yuki said stiffly, looking at Kyo, his eyes smoldering as he tried to control himself. As usual, the cat was being impertinent. But at least he'd cleaned up the blood, like he'd said he would.

Kyo scowled at the both of them. "I don't have to take this," he declared loudly and immediately headed outside, minus shoes, which were, as fate would have it, still in his room.

"That ought to cool him off," Arisa laughed as they watched him leave, slamming the door closed behind him.

Yuki sighed and relaxed his stance, now that he felt more sure that a fight wouldn't break out. "What, may I ask, are you doing here," he said, turning to Arisa.

Arisa stopped up short, mild surprise on her face. "Oh, didn't I tell you?" Yuki gave her a patient look that said she hadn't. "Well, then, Hana and I wanted to kidnap Tohru for the day." She leaned against the counter.

Yuki's face went a surprised blank as he stared at her. "You….. want to….. kidnap Miss Honda?"

"Isn't that what I just said," Arisa asked a bit impatiently. "We both decided that it'd been a while since we girls just went out and did something. Since she got over her pneumonia, she's been mostly here and catching up on her schoolwork. She really hasn't had much time for time off, if you get what I mean."

"I…" He tried to shake off his state of confusion. "No, you're right," he agreed. "She hasn't had much free time lately. Today is the first real day I haven't seen her with her nose in a book or trying to do calculations."

She leaned against the counter. "So glad you agree. So Hana and I are going to take her out for the day. And don't worry," she added. "We'll take good care of her."


	2. Grave Mistakes

Tohru cradled her hand as she, Hana, and Arisa walked down the road into town. They all three wore coats against the cold, their feet crunching in the snow.

"Who'd have thought we'd have snow this early on," Arisa asked as she put out a hand to catch a stray flake blown by the wind.  
Hana watched her friend without comment, keeping a sideways glance on Tohru, who still looked a little pale. They were walking slowly, following the tire tracks from Hatori's car.

Tohru sighed. "Thank you. For getting me away from the house, I mean. I feel like I've done nothing but look at algebra equations all week. And even with Yuki's help, they still dance in front of my face like they're mocking me."

Arisa laughed. "Careful there, Tohru. People might start to think you've lost it."

Hana hugged Tohru from the side. "No. Anyone who knows our Tohru would never think something like that possible. She's too sweet."

Arisa smiled and they continued to walk in silence for a while. "I wonder what Yuki and Kyo are doing right now," she mused. "Probably fighting, knowing them." She smirked.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Kyo was standing with his arms crossed, his face a mask of outrage as he stared at Yuki. Tohru hadn't been gone even fifteen minutes and they were facing off again.

"You stupid cat," Yuki said in an angry voice. "I can't believe we're from the same family."  
"Oh yeah?" Kyo clenched a fist. "Well, I can't believe that you had to think about it before saying it."

Shigure walked into the kitchen, an expression of long suffering on his face. "What now," he asked the air. "What could these two young men be fighting over now? Can't they get along without Tohru being here to keep them out of trouble?"

Both boys turned to their guardian and spoke as one. "Stay out of this."

Shigure backed up a step and put a hand up to his face. "Oh my," he exclaimed. "Should I wait for the fists to start flying or should I call Hatori now?"

Kyo growled, then stormed out of the room, brushing past Yuki on his way out.

Yuki held still, arms stiffly at his sides.

"Well, really. What was that all about," Shigure asked as he pulled out a carton of milk from the fridge.  
"Nothing," Yuki answered shortly. "Kyo just doesn't know when to call it quits."

Footsteps pounded up the stairs and a door slammed a minute later, followed by steps coming down the stairs.

"If anyone cares," Kyo shouted from the front room, "I'm going out." The front door slid open and was slammed shut as he went outside.  
Shigure poured some milk as Yuki relaxed. "Now, don't tell me you're still mad at him about Tohru's hand," he said to his younger cousin.  
Yuki turned away. "He should have paid more attention."

"That may be," Shigure answered, "but you aren't doing much to improve the situation, now are you. I'm sure he feels bad enough without you calling him on it. He'll likely head off to some quiet place to sulk, or maybe go to Kazuma's."

"So he can punch something he can actually hit," Yuki quipped.

"Now, now," Shigure admonished. "Don't be like that. Why don't you go out and get some fresh air yourself? I'm sure it would do you a world of good. And it would give me some peace and quiet for once."

Yuki headed to find his coat. "You're right," he said over his shoulder. "Maybe I'll go see Ayame or Haru."

"I'm sure Ayame would appreciate it," Shigure said with a trace of humor. "He still feels bad about the incident a few months ago. He's been dying to make amends."

"I'll bet." Yuki put on his coat and shoes, heading out the door. "I probably won't be back for lunch," he warned. "If you happen to see the cat, tell him to steer clear for a while, and not to go looking for me."

Shigure shook his head as he left. Why would Kyo go looking for him? Oh well, he thought as he headed to his den to work on his latest manuscript.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kyo wandered aimlessly. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do or where he wanted to go, so long as it kept him away from Yuki for a while. The stupid rat had struck one serious nerve and Kyo knew that if he hadn't gotten out things would have gotten too hot, likely ending up with a trip to the hospital. He wasn't too cocky to realize that Yuki would probably do a number on him, especially since it was a cold, somewhat blustery day and he'd rather be inside, sleeping.

He punched the nearest brick wall, cursing as the impact made his hand twinge with pain. "Stupid! You stupid rat! Why'd you have to bring up my mom!"

He leaned against the bricks, sulking.

"So, where's Tohru going?" he'd asked Yuki.

"To visit her mother's grave," Yuki had answered. Yuki, for some reason, was still upset with Kyo about the whole broken glass incident and had snidely offered a stinging lash to Kyo's already burdened mind. "It's not like she can't go see her mother's grave when you're afraid to go see yours."

Those words had stung, probably more deeply than Yuki realized. The truth was that Kyo was afraid to go. He hadn't set foot in the cemetery where she was buried, not since the day they'd put her there. All those people milling about, whispering behind hands. Wasn't it such a pity that she'd died? Wouldn't she have lived if she hadn't given birth to the cat? Hadn't he driven her to this? Wasn't it suicide because she couldn't take the strain anymore?

Kyo moaned. "It wasn't my fault," he wanted to yell. Why hadn't anyone understood his pain? His needs? He let out a yowl of rage and pain, startling some adults walking nearby. He ignored them and started to run. It didn't matter what direction, so long as he could outrun the demons chasing after him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Arisa set back from the table with a contented sigh. "Maybe we should do this more often," she said as she looked at Tohru and Hana. "I mean, it's not every day that Tohru doesn't have to cook and we get to spend time together."

Tohru pushed the last few grains of rice around her plate with her chopsticks. 'I don't know," she replied. "I mean, wouldn't it cost too much?"  
Hana hugged her friend. "Dear Tohru, leave it to you to worry about such things."

"Hey," Arisa added. "It's not like we actually can do this every day, ya know. We gotta take the opportunity when it presents itself. Someday we may all have to go our separate ways."

Hana didn't look like she liked that idea. "Oh no, I could never be parted from dear Tohru. I don't think I could bear it. Please, don't even think about such things."

"I'm just saying," Arisa replied.

"I wouldn't mind if things stayed as they are," Tohru added. "I mean I have the two best friends anyone could ask for. What more could I want?"  
"You're sweet," Hana said, admiration in her eyes. "What could either of us do without you?"

Arisa stood from the table, slipping a tip under her plate. "Well, I don't know about any of that, but I do know that we have other things to do besides sit around like this," she said. "We still have to visit Kyoko, after all."

"Right," Tohru said and dutifully stood. "We did say we'd do that, didn't we?" She pulled her coat on with a little help from Hana. It was harder to put it on with one hand all bandaged. 'It's been a while since we last visited mom together."

Hana thought about that last time all three at been to Kyoko's grave. It had been raining that night and she and Arisa had only gone there because of the electrical signals. It certainly wasn't the happiest of circumstances. But that had been several months ago.

They walked, Tohru in the middle, arms around her shoulders, as they headed towards her mother's grave.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Snow swept the long walkways that lined the shrines and tombstones of the cemetery sanctuary. The trees stretched out bare branches and dead flowers rattled in vases. Smoke rose from the small temple on the grounds, but aside from that, there were no others signs of activity.  
Kyo skulked along the walkway, feeling very ill at ease. He hadn't been in a cemetery for a long time, not since he and Yuki had gone with Tohru and her friends to visit Kyoko's grave. He wasn't even sure why he was here; except that it seemed the least likely place anyone would find him. He wasn't even sure if he'd remember the right way to the grave he was looking for.

He leaned against one of the many posts and sighed, hands in his pockets. His thoughts kept running in circles, remembering that fateful day so many years ago. How old had he been? Four? Five? He wasn't entirely sure. What really mattered was that it was the year his life had changed, drastically.

He remembered wondering why things had happened the way they had. Why everyone shunned him. He could get lost in those memories, if he let himself, but he didn't let himself. He'd come here for a reason.

"Can't put it off forever," he said to himself and pushed away from the post, heading down one of the many walkways. His feet crunched against the snow as he walked.

In his mind, he saw people milling about, pressing away from him as he walked.

"If only she hadn't given birth to the cat, she might still be alive."

"They say it was suicide because she couldn't take the strain of caring for the cat."

"If only… If only…. If only…." Thousands of voices milled in his head, voices, pointing fingers.

He stopped, crouching where he stood, hands pressed against his ears. "Shut up! Shut up! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault! I didn't do it! I didn't do it…"

The accusatory voices multiplied, one on top of the other, running into a cacophony of noise, pointing fingers at him. Angry voices.  
"If you hadn't been born, she would still be here!"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

He wasn't sure if he'd yelled in just his mind or actually out loud. Inside, he felt like the hideous monster he transformed into when he wasn't wearing his beads, the beads that pressed against his skin. They reminded him of what he was and why he was here. He was here because his mother was here. She was here because…. No, he wouldn't think about it.

He squeezed his eyes tightly closed, bent low over his knees, head almost resting on the ground. He faced a grave, not sure whose it was. Probably some relative or other but he wasn't sure. He mentally kicked himself, wishing that he hadn't come. If he hadn't, those memories might not have been dredged up again, but he had to fight those demons sometime.

He looked up and was very surprised to find that he was in front of the very grave he'd tried to find. Ironic as it was, he wasn't sure if he was grateful or not. He shivered a moment in the cold, not sure what to do as the little voices of accusation crowded just out of earshot in his mind. He knew they were still there but the shock of actually finding what he'd been looking for had kept them at bay.

He sat up on his knees and stared at the carved letters, mentally tracing them, gulping as he realized that he'd finally come to this point. Had he really thought about his mother, other then about that day, about how she'd seemed to care but was really afraid? When was the last time he'd actually thought about her as a person? He didn't know. She'd always been a hazy figure, afraid of him, yet holding him tight like she was afraid to let him out of her sight because it might be worse.

He stared at the tombstone for a long time, until he realized that his teeth were starting to chatter, that he probably should have grabbed a warmer jacket than the one he wore. He didn't know what to say.

"Hey," he thought. "I'm a real idiot. Don't even know what to say to you. Sorry doesn't seem right. Don't know if I'd even be here if it weren't for that damn rat, Yuki."

He looked down at his hands, played with the beads. He knew, that inadvertently, it was potentially his fault that his mother had died, not because of anything he'd done, but because of what he was. Though there was nothing he could do about that.

"I…" He gulped as the word escaped his lips. "I've kinda been afraid to come, ya know? I mean, everyone seems to want to keep me away and…" he hung his head. "I was afraid you'd be mad at me or something."

He clenched his fists together to stop his hands from shaking. "Did you know that Kazuma took me in? He's been kinda like a dad to me, more'n what … well, you know. He blamed me, ya know. Said I'd killed you, that it was my fault. I… but I didn't! You know I didn't!"

He tried to suppress a sob. "But it wasn't really my fault," he said and his body shuddered. "I didn't kill you. I couldn't."

He seemed to melt as he moved his hands to cover his face. "I don't understand. You kept me inside, away from everyone. I didn't want to be shut up. I didn't want to be treated differently. And you always said you loved me, but deep down inside, I knew you were afraid of me. But even having you be afraid of me was better than nothing. Why did you leave me, mom? Why?"

The snow crunched up into the creases of his pants, melted under the heat as he shook with the repressed sobs, tears he couldn't let fall. A cool breeze ruffled his orange hair. He wasn't sure how long he knelt there while he struggled inside but when he finally looked up again he knew he wasn't alone.

"Kyo." The voice of his teacher was soft and full of compassion. Kazuma Sohma stood several feet away from him, maintaining a distance of respect. "My son," he said more quietly, so quietly that it almost couldn't be heard.

Kyo continued to stare at his mother's grave, feeling the press of his beads against his wrist. He didn't look up but didn't need to. He knew that his surrogate father had slowly moved to kneel by his side, saying nothing more than what he'd already said. They knelt in silence for some time.  
"I'd wondered how long it would take for you to come here," Kazuma said. "Kyo." He noted his foster son's shaking shoulders, his overly wet eyes. "It's all right."

Kyo sobbed deep in his throat. "Why did she leave me? Why did she have to do it? Take her own life? Why couldn't she have…?" He chocked on the words and couldn't continue.

Kazuma looked down at him and saw, not a teenager, but a lost and confused child who had had more hard knocks in life than anyone living deserved. He resisted the urge to gather him up into his arms and cradle him. Instead, he placed an arm around his shoulders.  
Kyo didn't resist the natural urge to lean against the stronger shoulders, not quite relaxing against his mentor.

"Sometimes," Kazuma said quietly, "people do things that hurt us, not thinking about the pain it will cause others, but how it will end their own. They are those who have backed themselves into a corner and don't know how to get out. They believe that no one else can help them and so they try to escape by whatever means they can. It doesn't always make sense."

Kyo continued to stare ahead, looking beyond the grave, back into the past. He likely hadn't even heard what Kazuma had said. "Why did you do it, mom? Didn't you know that all I wanted was for you to love me like I loved you?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru stood next to Arisa and Hana, one friend on either side of her as she greeted her mother. "Hi mom," she said out loud. "I know it's a bit unusual for me to be here at this time, but Arisa and Hana wanted to visit so here we are."

Arisa laid a bunch of flowers they'd bought at the foot of the grave. "Hey Kyoko," she said and Hana nodded in greeting. "Everyone's still fine here. And don't worry. We're still looking out for Tohru like we promised we would."

Tohru smiled between them, placing her own bundle of flowers by Arisa's. "Sorry we can't stay long," she apologized. "It is kind of cold outside today, what with the snow and everything, and Arisa and Hana wanted to take me around town today so I could have a day off."

"I'm sure she understands," Hana said quietly and squeezed Tohru's shoulder. "How's your hand?"

Tohru looked down at the bandages. She'd almost forgotten about the stitches. "It's fine," she said. "I'm not bothered by it at all."

"Good," Hana said. "Then perhaps we should go ahead to my house. Megumi will be waiting for us. I promised him you'd visit today."

"Yeah," Arisa added. "We should get going. We'll visit you again soon, Kyoko," she called behind her as the three turned to leave. She waved and they crunched back across the snow as they headed for Hana's house.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Yuki tenderly touched the leaves of the more hardy of his plants. Most of everything had already been harvested, but there were a few plants still alive, despite the winter cold. There really wasn't much he could do with them though. When spring came, he'd have to till it up and start over.  
He reflected on the morning. What he'd said to Kyo had really struck a nerve. But then, was he any better? Sure he'd actually met up with his brother again, an annoying thing to be sure, but he hadn't really seen his own parents in a very long time, not since they'd sold him out to Akito, to be totally truthful. Sure he'd tried to go back to them a few times, just to be taken back. After that, he'd given up on them. They obviously didn't care.  
He sat down on a stump and looked over his frozen plants. Maybe it had been rather insensitive of him. After all, Kyo's mother was dead and his father hated him, but then Yuki's own parents seemed to have given up on Yuki as well, so did it really matter?

A twinge of regret filled his mind as he thought about how Tohru might have reacted to that little episode. She wouldn't have liked it. She'd get that look in her eye, not a mad expression, but a hurt one. She'd be hurting for Kyo, and Yuki didn't know if he liked that or not. He felt a little twinge as he thought about it. There shouldn't be a reason to be jealous though. Tohru was only a friend and Kyo was only her friend, not her boyfriend, and Yuki wasn't her boyfriend either.

"You're despicable," he said out loud. "How could Miss Honda want someone like you? You belittle others and don't even follow your own advice." He was looking at a potted strawberry plant but was talking to himself. "How could she want me? I'm nothing but a coward, a shameful coward."  
He took the pot in his hands, intent on the lingering green of the leaves.

He remembered standing in the hallway at school and having Tohru stand in front of him, smiling despite what he'd just told her. "You can erase my memories, but please promise me that you'll still be my friend."

Yuki sighed and put the pot back down. How could such a person exist? Was it truly possible? She was so selfless, so giving, and she did it without even trying. Yuki could never be that good, but he had her to look up to on that count, and he wouldn't stop trying. She had already proven that she could accept him for what he was. And that she could accept Kyo for what he was too. Who was he to meddle in those kinds of things?

xXxXxXxXxXxX

Shigure hung up the phone with a sigh. "I should have known," he said. It was getting later on in the day and no one had yet come home. He'd had to fend for himself for lunch, which had ended up being leftovers, but still made by Tohru from the night before. That was something at least.  
He'd called Ayame's shop, looking for Yuki. He wasn't entirely surprised to find that Yuki hadn't made it there. He was likely still avoiding his brother after the incident in the garden with his asthma. Though he really wished that both would let the past bury itself and get on with their lives.

Shigure wasn't surprised that Tohru and Kyo weren't home yet, though. Kyo was likely off sulking somewhere and would come home when he got hungry. Tohru was in the hands of her friends, who had made it quite clear that they'd be taking her out for the whole day. So Shigure was left alone, with his computer, a half formed novel, and dirty dishes that he hadn't wanted to wash after his midday meal.

He wandered into the kitchen and saw the half eaten cake that Tohru had made. It looked really good. His mouth watered just looking at it. The yellow icing reminded him of her infectious smile, the chocolate sponginess of heaven. He closed his eyes and took a delicate, but long sniff of its aroma.

He opened his eyes and took a quick peek around, to make sure no one was looking, and ran a finger down the icing, licking it off his finger, sighing contentedly as the lemon flavored sugar melted on his tongue. "I'm in heaven," he said and used a knife to cut off the now icing free section of the cake and popped it into his mouth.

There was still a good third of the large-ish round cake left and he suddenly wondered if it might not be a bad idea to take some, er all, of it to share with Akito. He didn't necessarily get a lot of those kinds of treats, thanks to Hatori's concerns over his…. health. Surely he'd enjoy a bit of cake.

Looking around, he found a box to put the cake into. Cake in box, and jacket on, he headed for the door, slipping on his sandals as he closed the door behind him. Akito would be very surprised to see him.


	3. Snow, Tea, Cake, and a Cat

It was warm inside Kazuma's house. Kyo sat against the back of a couch, a blanket wrapped around his body to keep off the cold that had seeped into his bones. His clothes were drying next to the heater and he only wore a pair of borrowed karate gi bottoms under the blanket. His chest, which occasionally was visible, featured several pink jagged lines, the fading remnants of a nightmare Kyo was only glad to forget. In his hands, he cupped a mug of hot tea, the steam wafting up towards his face as he bent over the warmth.

Kazuma sat across from him, his own cup of tea in hand. He occasionally glanced up at his foster son, proud of what he'd been able to accomplish that day. It had to take a lot of courage and determination on Kyo's part to even go to the Sohma plots at all, let alone find his mother's grave and confront his feelings about her death. He'd come a long way.

Kyo stared into his cup, letting the heat warm his hands. He had a slight scowl on his face, but not because he was trying to scowl. He was pondering on the last few hours. If Yuki hadn't goaded him, he might not have gone out at all, and he supposed he should thank the rat for that, though he'd probably never mention it to him. He wondered how, after so many years, he'd finally been able to let out at least part of his feelings of insecurity and, to a small degree, guilt, about the whole affair. He was very glad that Kazuma had been the only one there to see him weep over his mother's grave, though he was sure that if Tohru had been there, she'd have cried with him and not thought him any less of a person for it.

"Your clothes should be dry soon," Kazuma said, gently bringing him back to the present. "It might be a good idea to head home once they are." He looked towards the windows. And even though the shutters were closed, it was becoming obvious that what light there had been outside was fading. "It looks like another storm is coming in and it wouldn't do to be caught in it."

Kyo looked at the windows too. "Yeah, you're probably right." But he didn't want to leave just yet. He and Kazuma had shared something special at the grave, a greater bond of family and he wasn't ready to part with it yet. But it was starting to get late. Tohru would likely be getting home soon and would probably need help with making dinner, what with her hand all bandaged up and everything. And, if nothing else, he'd have to at least make something for himself and Shigure, and maybe Yuki.

Kazuma got up and checked on Kyo's clothes while Kyo sipped his tea. "I heard about Tohru's incident this morning," he said and Kyo cringed, wondering if his master would blame him for the injury. "Hatori told me about it. I thought it might not be a bad idea to send a small bundle back with you for her."

Kyo blinked in surprise. "Um, okay," he finally managed to say. "Sure, I'll take it to her." The blanket around him slipped a little as Kazuma came back into the room with Kyo's dry clothes. Kazuma remained silent but he clearly saw the scars and remembered holding his foster son while he was in the ravages of dreams and a fever.

"Here," he said and handed Kyo the clothes. "I'll be right back with Tohru's package." He left the room while Kyo changed back into his things, now warm and dry from being so close to the heater. Kazuma returned just as he was pulling on his socks. He gave Kyo a medium sized bundle; something wrapped in brown paper, and then placed in a bag. "You'd better hurry," he advised. "The wind is picking up."

Kyo took the bundle and thanked his master. Kazuma watched after him as he walked out of sight as the light faded completely behind dark clouds. A few flakes of snow flew in through the doorway as he slid it closed. "Be safe, Kyo," he said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The clouds were only moderate when Shigure slipped into the Main House on Sohma Grounds. He still carried the boxed cake in front of him, a smile of mischief on his face as he sought out Akito.

Akito was lounging in a room she'd banned most of her staff from, at least for the day. She had a headache and didn't want to be disturbed. The room was mostly bare, aside from the chair she sat in, and another chair across from her. She'd had the other furniture cleared out. It had totally added to her headache.

She wore a robe loosely over her shoulders, glad that the constraining bands she usually wore were left behind in her room. The unaccustomed freedom was nice. Too bad it didn't help with her headache. Sometimes it grew tiring playing the charade of being a man, and if it weren't for her mother, and the carefully crafted image already in place, she'd be tempted to drop the façade entirely.

Someone knocked on the door to her sanctum. "Go away," she hissed, massaging her temples. "I told you I don't want to be disturbed."

"How mean," Shigure's voice came from behind the screen. "I came all this way to see you and you treat me so coldly." He slid the screen open and walked into the room, cake box in hand. "I brought you something," he said in a more repentant tone.

Akito growled quietly and gritted her teeth. She loved the fool, but why was he coming here now? "You can leave it on the floor," she said coldly. She hoped he caught the unspoken part about leaving immediately as well.

Shigure's face crumpled. Alligator tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Usually, he wasn't like this around his head of house, the excessive teasing left behind, but then they were in private. She wondered what he had in the box, but only slightly wondered as she tried to wave him away with one hand while keeping the other on her head. He only made things worse at the moment.

"But I wanted to share this with you," he said with a crestfallen expression. "Tohru put her heart and soul into baking this cake for you. You wouldn't want to reject any effort she's made towards friendship, would you?"

Akito pulled up at the word Tohru. A million thoughts raced through her head. The day she almost had Tohru's memories erased after she'd found out about Kyo's other form. The long nights she'd sat in Hatori's house watching Tohru, as she lay too sick to move. The night she'd been there when Tohru had finally remembered accepting Kyo despite his other form. She felt conflicting emotions inside. She was annoyed with Shigure. She was annoyed with herself, and she was annoyed with Tohru. It wasn't rational, but it was true.

"Did you say cake?" She looked at him through the slits of her eyes. "You know Hatori doesn't allow for such a rich diet. Are you trying to kill me? To make me ill for weeks on end?"

Shigure extended the box towards her. "I only wanted to bring you some cheer on this cold, blustery day," he said, continuing with the same downcast voice. "But if you would rather not be comforted…"

Akito ground her teeth. "What if I don't want to be comforted? What if I only want to be left alone?" Her voice was rising in temper and volume.  
"Please, don't be like that," Shigure responded, his expression uneasy. He started towards her again, not paying attention to where he was going, and caught the corner of the other chair with his foot as he tried to move forward. The chair didn't want to let go. Inertia kept the cake box moving forward. Akito flung her arms up to ward it off but it was too late.

Shigure looked up from his sprawled state on the floor. Yellow and white icing had splattered. The box had collapsed, and its contents were now in Akito's lap, seeping into her robe. He couldn't speak.

Akito looked down at the mess in her lap, blood pressure rising as she realized what that oaf had done. The rich cake was moist and the icing soft. She blinked then looked up at Shigure who seemed frozen in shock.

"You…! You DARE!" Without even thinking, she scooped up a handful of the glop and chucked it at him. It splattered across his face in a very satisfying way, though not enough to mollify Akito. After all, she'd been wearing one of her more favorite robes.

Shigure continued to stare at his head of house, shock totally masked by the cake now on his face. He didn't realize a second volley was coming until it hit him. He ran a finger down his face, collecting frosting on his hand. He looked at it, towards the fuming Akito, scooped some more cake from his face, and flung it back at her.

Icing hit Akito on the left side of her face. She stood up very abruptly, causing the majority of the cake on her lap to slide to the floor. She grabbed a handful and sent it right back at him. Before too long, an all out war ensued, between Akito and Shigure, cake as the ammunition. Her headache was forgotten in the desire to plaster Shigure from head to foot.

Neither one heard the door sliding open as Hatori entered the room. He'd come to check on Akito. Instead, he was greeted by a handful of icing and cake splattering into the wall behind him, inches from his head. Both Akito and Shigure froze when they saw him standing there. Akito was supposed to be resting. Shigure wasn't supposed to be there. Hatori raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

Akito turned to face Shigure. "Now see what you've done? This disgusting mess is all your fault!"

Shigure blinked at her. "My fault? You're the one who flung the first volley."

Inside, part of Hatori really wanted to laugh, but he had too much control to let his composer down. His face remained stern. "What, may I ask, are you doing?" He addressed the question to Shigure who was covered in brown, yellow, and white. Akito didn't look much better. Neither did the room, for that matter.

Shigure managed to look a bit sheepish under his cover of icing. "I was sharing some cake with Akito. Tohru made it," he added, as if that might smooth things over.

"Indeed," Hatori answered before turning to Akito. "You were supposed to be resting." But Akito did not look repentant.

"How am I supposed to rest when there are people like Shigure keeping me from it?" She glared at both men, hands on her cake-spattered hips. "He shouldn't even be here."

Hatori sighed inwardly. "Might I suggest that you go home, Shigure," he said. "It's getting late and it is snowing. You might be able to make it home before the roads get too bad."

Shigure looked at his clothes. If it really was snowing, he wasn't bundled up nearly enough. And the cake all over probably didn't help matters. He looked quite the sight.

"I'll drive you home," Hatori added, taking in Shigure's attire. He knew his cousin too well. It might not outwardly bruise his ego, but it certainly wouldn't help it either. And he really wasn't dressed for snow.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Arisa looked up at the dark clouds with apprehension. The streetlights valiantly tried to light the area, despite the falling flakes of white. She felt like she was walking through a dense fog and found herself very glad that she'd bundled up that morning. "Doesn't look like it's going to stop," she commented.

"No," Hana agreed. "I don't believe it will." She pressed closer to Tohru, who was once again in the middle of their small group.

"Do you think we'll make it back to the house," Tohru asked, her teeth chattering. There were a good couple of inches on the ground already and it was sticking to her coat. Her feet felt like they were sloshing through the wet mass on the ground.

"Course we will," Arisa answered, her usual optimistic voice trying to break the tension in the air. "We might have to stay at your place until it stops, but we'll definitely get you home before it gets too bad."

"Yes," Hana added. "Though I think it might be some time before it does stop. I should probably call my parents as soon as we arrive so that they do not worry."

They huddled closer together, pushing against the falling snow and the wind driving it. All three thought about how lucky they were to be closer to Shigure's house than they'd dared hope. They'd already hit the long tree-lined lane, the trees now keeping back some of the deluge of white from reaching them.

"What's that," Arisa said, suddenly stopping and pointing at something in the snow.

"It looks like a cat," Hana said.

Tohru started, looking at the almost shapeless mass in the snow, showing only the smallest part of orange. But squinting did show that shape was more catlike than anything else. "Oh no," she said, thinking about Kyo. Could it be him? She ran towards the animal, Hana and Arisa behind her.

Tohru dropped to her knees and pushed the snow away, revealing that they had indeed stumbled upon a cat. Tears started to leak from the corners of her eyes as she recognized exactly what cat this one was. The orange color was far too familiar.

"Is it dead," Arisa asked, coming up behind her.

"No," Hana said in response. "Look, it's breathing." She pointed to the faint trail of mist coming from the cat's mouth.

Tohru gathered the poor creature into her arms, searching for the clothes she was sure would be there, but she couldn't find them. He lay so limply in her arms. "We have to get him into the house," she said. "He'll freeze!"

"Here," Arisa said, holding out her arms for the cat. "My coat's bigger." She gently took the cat from Tohru, knowing that this whole event had upset her, and tucked him into the extra fold of her coat. "Come on. The house shouldn't be too much farther."

Tohru stood up and Hana hugged her tightly to keep her warm. Her clothes had soaked up the moisture of the slushy snow and she was shivering. "Please be careful," she asked Arisa, forgetting her own troubles, and that her bandage was soaked with snow water. It would have to be changed as soon as they had the opportunity.

Once again, they headed towards shelter, guided the last few steps by the lights shining in the windows of the house. They slipped inside, hurriedly closing the door behind them.

"Whew," Arisa said as she unbuttoned her coat. "I don't believe I've ever seen it snow so badly before." She took the very damp cat out. "Maybe we should get some warm towels," she suggested.

Tohru jumped forward, panic starting to fill her as she saw how limply Kyo hung in Arisa's arms.

"Let me help you," Hana offered as Arisa put the cat on the floor. She and Tohru went in search of towels while Arisa took off her boots and hung her coat.

Yuki came down the stairs at the same moment that Tohru came flying back into the room, Hana behind her.

"Miss Honda," Yuki greeted but she brushed past him. "What's going on?"

Arisa moved forward to help Hana with her armful of towels. "Tohru found a stray out in the road. Seeing as how it is outside, we couldn't just leave him out there."

Yuki looked around Arisa and almost chocked. "Is that…?" He couldn't finish the question as Tohru wrapped a towel around Kyo's cold, cat body.  
"Yes," she said rather breathlessly, not wanting to say more because it would give away the whole secret of the curse. "Help me, Yuki. He must have gotten lost in the storm."

Yuki looked at a loss for what to do. "Um… what would you like me to do?"

"Tohru," Hana spoke up. "May I use your phone? I'm sure my parents will be worried by now."

"Oh," Tohru reacted. "Yes, go ahead. Um… Yuki, why don't you draw up a warm bath. That might help. Arisa, can you heat up some milk?" She cradled Kyo to her chest. He still didn't respond to her, lying limply in her arms. "Maybe you could call Hatori? He might have some suggestions."  
Hana went to call her parents and Arisa followed Yuki into the kitchen. She found the milk and a pan and started the milk to heating. Yuki waited patiently for Hana to finish speaking to her mother before trying the Main House.

Tohru, meanwhile, was rubbing Kyo with the towel, trying to dry his fur. She knew that so long as she kept some kind of contact with him, he wouldn't transform back into a human, which was probably not a bad idea at the moment, considering her two best friends were in the house. The first time they'd been over to the house had been rough enough. They'd been very lucky things hadn't gotten too out of hand, despite her accidentally transforming Yuki, Shigure, and Kyo several times.

Yuki came back into the front room. "Hatori's not answering," he said. "But I'll keep trying." He didn't like the situation, and part of him wanted to let the stupid cat die, but he was also feeling a little guilty about the whole mess because Kyo wouldn't have gone out there in the first place if he'd kept his mouth shut. He went to draw the bath water.

"Perhaps we should stoke the furnace," Hana said. "My parents won't worry about me while I'm here but it will likely get colder if we don't do something to keep the heat." She went in search of the furnace with Arisa, thankfully giving Tohru a few moments alone with Kyo.

Tohru pressed her ear against Kyo's chest and was comforted by the faint sound of a heartbeat. "Don't die, Kyo," she pleaded with him. "Please, don't die."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The windshield wipers flashed quickly across the windshield as Hatori tried to navigate the icy roads. The snow was coming down really fast and visibility was very low.

"I don't know about you," Shigure spoke up from the passenger seat, "but I don't think we're going to get very far."

"Be quiet," Hatori admonished. "I'm trying to concentrate." He turned the wheel, avoiding a bad bout of sliding. But after a few more minutes of driving, he realized that Shigure was right. They weren't getting very far.

"Maybe we should go back to the Main House," Shigure suggested. They'd only made it a few miles from the grounds.

"Maybe you're right," Hatori conceded. He carefully turned the car around, narrowly avoiding getting stuck in the ditch on the curb. It took a bit of maneuvering but he finally managed to face the car in the opposite direction, back the way they come.

Shigure tapped his fingers anxiously on the clean robe he was borrowing. "I hope none of the children are out in that," he said just to break the silence. "Tohru was out with friends today and I didn't see Kyo before I left."

"You'll have to call your house when we arrive," Hatori said.

It took twice as long to get back as it had to come as far as they had. The snow was falling so fast it had filled in the tracks the car had created previously. Hari wondered why the plows hadn't been sent out yet, then realized it might be impossible for them to have reached this part of town.

Both men breathed a sigh of relief as Hari pulled up in front of his house. They both ran for the door, glad to be out of the cold.

"Never, in all my years," Shigure began, "Have I ever seen a storm like this one." He let himself collapse onto a couch after kicking off his shoes. The phone rang shrilly in the silence.

Hatori hurried to the phone to answer it. "Hello? Yuki? What's wrong?"

Shigure sat up when he heard Hari speak Yuki's name.

"I see," Hari continued. "So Tohru picked up a stray cat on the way in."

Shigure looked questioningly at his cousin. "Hari, what's going on?"

Hatori made a shushing motion with his hand. "No, I don't think I'll be able to come out. The storm's gotten quite bad. Shigure and I had to turn around only a few miles from the grounds." He paused while he listened for a few minutes. "Yes, that's probably best. Hopefully the snow will have stopped by morning. And Yuki, whatever you do, make sure you keep those two away from him." Then he hung up the phone.  
Shigure looked at Hatori, a million questions in his eyes. "Hari, what's going on? What happened?"

Hari sighed. "Tohru and her friends found Kyo outside the house. He'd already transformed, but he had to have been there for some time. He's unconscious right now and Tohru's worried. The unfortunate thing is that her friends are also trapped in the house with them. I'm sure you know what this means."

Shigure groaned. "This is definitely a bad situation," he said. "If Kyo transforms back into his human form while they're around to see…" He put his hand over his eyes. He didn't even want to contemplate it.

"Not only that," Hari added. "But anything out of the ordinary will likely arouse their suspicions. Hopefully both Tohru and Yuki can handle things for now. If they can get Kyo warm, he should be all right. He'll probably sleep it off. But there's no way we can reach them tonight. And if this storm continues, it is very possible that we might not be able to reach them for some time."

"I don't like the sound of that," Shigure commented. "After all, Yuki isn't the most capable person, and Tohru still has an injured hand that will need attention. And now Kyo and having Hana and Arisa there as well, for an indefinite amount of time..."

"I know," Hari said, sincerely hoping that his special talent of erasing memories would not be needed. It would definitely be very inconvenient at best. "It would be wise not to tell Akito about Tohru's friends being there with them."

Shigure nodded gravely. "I couldn't agree more." He just hoped that nothing bad would happen.


	4. Relief, Transformation, and Rin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the by, I decided to try and go a bit more with manga on this one so don't be surprised if I change up a few things, like Rin showing up. Going off the time line, Tohru would have met Rin by now, since I'm basing this after their collective trip to the ocean. This happens somewhere around chapter ninety, I think, in the manga. At any rate, this is just before the New Year, when everyone is freed.

Tohru heaved a sigh of relief. Kyo was still in the form of a cat, and unconscious, but at least he didn't feel like death frozen over. "That should do it," she said as Arisa brought her the bowl of warmed milk. She tucked a warmed blanket in around the sleeping cat and placed the bowl of milk next to him. She had no idea how long he'd stay in his current form. After all, he'd been through a great deal of stress, but she hoped it would last at least a bit longer.

Hana leaned against the door frame, her face relaxed into a slightly exhausted expression. "I suppose all we can do now is wait," she said.  
"Yep," Tohru said, trying to give her cheeriest smile as she looked over at her friend who was blocking the light into the room from the hallway. She hadn't wanted to turn the light on to keep the illusion that Kyo might really be in there, sleeping.

"You know," Arisa said as she scratched one orange ear, "this cat reminds me a bit of Orange-top. They have the same color hair and everything."

Tohru stiffened but tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, wouldn't it be funny if we kept this one and named it Kyo too?"

"I suppose," Arisa said slowly, eying Tohru warily. Her friend was acting a little strange. But then, she could be forgiven for it. She had been rather upset when they'd found the poor thing.

"How's your hand," Hana spoke up. "We really should have changed the bandages earlier."

Tohru looked at the soiled bandages on her hand. "Oh, well, it's not really that bad," she said. "But maybe you're right. We should probably change it."

"Let me help," Yuki said, coming into Kyo's room with the first aide kit.

"You'll probably want to disinfect the cuts," Arisa said. "Why don't you leave it to us," she added, turning to face Yuki. "We'll want to be in a room with more light anyway, and I'm sure that Kyo, and the cat, wouldn't want us to disturb their sleep."

Tohru quickly looked over to Kyo's bed. Someone, Yuki probably, had mussed up the blankets and made it appear as if someone had wrapped themselves up in the quilt. "Thank you," she said, though she was directing it more to Yuki than to her friends. She stumbled a bit in the dark but made it out of the room without incident, everyone else following behind her. She wondered what she'd tell her friends if they wondered where the cat went once Kyo transformed back. She supposed she could tell them that it had wandered off or something, she mused as they went downstairs.

Hana took over tending to Tohru's hand while Arisa watched Yuki nervously pace the dining room. Yuki was more than restless. "So, Yuki," Arisa said, "you got anything to eat in this place? Tohru obviously can't cook and I really don't expect Kyo to know how."

Yuki stopped, his face frozen in a sort of panicked expression of surprise. "Um… no, not really. What I mean to say is…" His stomach grumbled, though he'd tried really hard to not let anyone know that he too was interested in dinner. And with the snow like it was, ordering out wasn't exactly possible.

"I usually do the cooking," Tohru answered for him. "Sometimes Kyo helps, but Yuki rarely sets foot in the kitchen, except to eat." She smiled, remembering Shigure telling her about Yuki's cooking skills.

"Hmmm," Arisa mused. "Maybe we should wake up Orange-Top and make him cook something." She started towards the stairs.

Both Yuki and Tohru started, thoughts running rapidly in their heads about how to stop her. "Um," Tohru said nervously as Yuki stood frozen in place. "Maybe we should let him just sleep. After all, he's usually very worn out when it's stormy like this. I'm sure Shigure would appreciate it if we left him alone. After all, he'd probably knock out a few doors or. …something."

"Yes," Yuki said, recovering himself. "Shigure has the tendency to be overly cross if Kyo loses his temper and smashes the doors. We'd best let him be."

Arisa shrugged but turned back towards the fridge. Both Yuki and Tohru heaved an inward sigh of relief.

"There," Hana said as she finished wrapping Tohru's hand. "I did not accomplish the task as well as Hatori might have, but it is done." She stood up from her ministrations.

"Thank you," Tohru said and also stood. It was definitely a better job than Yuki had that one time Ritsu had visited. "Maybe we can reheat some leftovers. I'm sure that with careful supervision, Yuki could do that."

"A fine idea," Hana said as she smiled at Yuki.

Yuki looked like hungry boars or something were eying him. He gulped and looked at Tohru. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Miss Honda," he said.

Arisa laughed. "Scared of the stove? Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when I saw the prince afraid to do something."

"It's just that I'm not really good at this kind of thing," Yuki defended.

"Oh, come on," Arisa cajoled while Tohru rummaged in the fridge. "It's not that hard."

"Here we are," Tohru said as she found the covered container she'd been looking for. "Beef stew. I'm sure there's enough to go around."

Yuki looked at the pot with wide eyes; not exactly sure what to do with it, even though he'd seen Tohru and even Kyo cook in the kitchen many times. His own attempts at cooking had definitely not produced anything really edible.

"Oh, here," Arisa said crossly and pushed him out of the way, taking the pot from Tohru. She set it on the stove, lit the burner, and stirred so that it wouldn't burn as it heated.

Yuki's shoulders sagged. Part of it was from relief; part of it was in disappointment with himself. Tohru watched him with a sense of sadness, wondering how she could help him feel better.

"Maybe we could have some cake after we eat," she said brightly and looked towards the place where she'd set the cake she'd made the other day. However, it wasn't there. "Um…" she said, a hint of panic in her voice. "Where's the cake?"

Yuki gave her a knowing look. "Knowing Shigure, he probably ate it all while we were out. He probably figured that if he left before we arrived, he would be off the hook."

Tohru looked at him in surprise as Hana went over to the window and looked out. "Oh, you went out?"

"Yes," Yuki confirmed. "While you and Miss Uotani and Hanajima were out. I went to the garden and walked around. It was nice to have the time to just think."

"I hope you wore your coat," Tohru said with a firm tone that almost said she doubted he had.

"Of course," he said. "It's too cold outside not to wear one."

"It's still snowing," Hana reported, interrupting the conversation. "Perhaps we should make hot chocolate to commemorate the event."  
"Hey, that's a good idea," Arisa agreed. "Where do you keep the kettle?"

Tohru showed her where the kettle was kept while Yuki went to peer out the window. The snow was still falling down, perhaps even more thickly. "If this keeps up," Yuki mused, "we might end up being snowed in tomorrow."

"That could get interesting," Arisa smiled as she filled the kettle. "A house of guys invaded by girls. It'd be just like that night we slept over, except that we couldn't just leave."

Yuki repressed a shudder. The idea of having the two girls trapped inside with them hadn't really crossed his mind and he found he definitely didn't like the idea. He was nervous enough around them when they were just on social outings, like visiting Kyoko's grave. He didn't even want to contemplate being holed up in the same house with them for who knew how long. And if they were snowed in, that meant there would be only one bathroom accessible from inside, the one upstairs. That could get interesting.

"The snow is coming down really thick," Tohru said in a worried voice. "It looks like it's already reached the top of the porch.  
"Maybe we should go check the windows," Yuki said nervously. "If one of them breaks, we're in trouble."

"Why don't you and I go and check them," Tohru said quickly. "I'll check the upstairs windows!" She was off before Yuki could say a word about it. He watched her go with his mouth slightly open in surprise.

"I'll bet you anything," Arisa said as she stirred the soup, "that she's going to go check on that cat again."

"I find it rather endearing," Hana said. "Tohru wouldn't be Tohru if she didn't worry, I think." She set the filled kettle on the stove and lit the burner.

"Isn't it kind of weird, though," Arisa continued absently as she stirred, "that Tohru wouldn't want the cat in her room? I mean, she's so worried about it and all that, you'd think she'd want it close."

"Hey, Tohru, shouldn't we put the cat in your room?" Arisa asked as she carried the cat upstairs. "After all, you can keep a closer eye on him up there."  
Tohru turned beet red. "Oh, no, I couldn't do that." Inside she'd wondered what it would look like if Kyo had transformed and either of her friends saw him in her room naked. "I know, let's put him in Kyo's room. It's just down the hall. I'm sure that will be fine."

"I think," Yuki said, "that I'll …um…go… check on the windows downstairs." He edged out of the kitchen.

"And then there were two," Arisa said with irony. "Though I'm sure the Prince went more to get out of the kitchen then because he thought Tohru was serious about leaving the bottom windows to him."

Hana silently agreed with her and went back over to the window to watch the snow falling. They both heard a faint sound almost like a thud coming from upstairs.

"What was that," Arisa said. "Maybe we should go check it out, see if Tohru's okay or something. She might have fallen down the stairs. You never know."

"I'll go," Hana said, though she felt sure that their friend was fine. She left the kitchen, leaving Arisa to stir the soup.

......................

Tohru was anxious to get upstairs. Of course she wanted to check on Kyo, but the windows were also another thing to worry about. Sometimes Kyo didn't close the sliding door from his room all the way, and she sometimes forgot to close her window. Leaving either open wouldn't be good, and if Kyo's door was open like that, it would definitely make him cold. She was already afraid he'd catch something from his exposure outside.  
She stepped into Kyo's room and turned on the light. At that exact moment, a puff of orange colored smoke appeared from the blankets on the floor, accompanied by a sort of popping sound that she'd learned meant one of the Sohma's was transforming.

The blankets on the ground distended as Kyo regained his human form, the blankets thankfully covering his lower body as the rest of him pushed away, knocking into the bowl of lukewarm milk, causing it to spill.

Tohru stopped mid-step, not sure if she should make a hasty retreat because Kyo obviously only had the blanket covering him, or to continue in and check on him and the door and windows.

"Uh," Kyo groaned as he placed one hand on the floor, his back facing the ceiling. His hair was wet with spilled milk and his face was against the floor. He shivered. He pushed himself up slightly and shaded his eyes with his other hand. "Turn off that light," he commanded a bit harshly, though still with only half his voice. He was obviously not all together awake.

"Um…Kyo," Tohru said, still standing nervously in the same spot she'd frozen in. She finally settled with, "How are you feeling?" She turned partially away out of embarrassment now that he was moving around.

Kyo pushed up onto his knees, the blankets, thankfully, staying over the lower portion of his back. He looked behind him, towards Tohru and realized that he wasn't wearing anything under the covering. His face went a bit red and he quickly pulled the blankets up further. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled. He put one hand to his head. "How did I get here?"

Tohru kept her eyes averted, just in case. "Oh… well… while Hana and Arisa were walking me home, Arisa stumbled on you in the snow, only you were in the form of the cat so she didn't know it was you," she began to rush her words. "And I saw you there, covered with snow and I couldn't find your clothes so Arisa bundled you up in her coat since it's bigger and we brought you in. With their help, we got you warm again and bundled you in some blankets. We left you some milk in case you woke up and Yuki fixed up your bed so that they'd think you were here asleep…"

Kyo put up a restraining hand. "Stop. I get the picture. You're making my head dizzy. Do you think you could turn the light off though? It's blinding me."

"Sure." She turned to the switch and flipped it, enclosing the room in darkness again. She kept turned around though. She could hear him moving around, probably looking for something to wear.

After several minutes, she heard him grunt again. "Okay, it's safe," he said and she turned around. He was now wearing a t-shirt and baggy pants, his hair incredibly disheveled. He was moving the blankets, mopping up the spilled milk with the corner of one already spilled on.  
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Tohru said and bent down to help him.

"Hey," Kyo complained. "Don't. I mean… your hand." He took her bandaged hand gently in his own. "You don't want to get it dirty or something," he said when she looked questioningly at his face.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. "Tohru, all you all right? We heard something like someone falling." Hana's voice flowed towards them.  
Tohru looked frantically at the door then back at Kyo. She had no idea what to tell Hana about the cat. "I'm fine," she said. "Just tripped."  
Kyo heard Hana's voice and quickly sprinted over to his bed and dived under the covers, figuring that he'd probably do well to stick with the story Tohru and Yuki had created.

Hana's face appeared around the edge of the door frame. "Are you sure you're all right," she asked Tohru.

Tohru nodded. "Uh huh. Just wasn't watching where I was going and tripped over the blankets."

Hana noted that the blankets had been moved, and that the bowl of milk had overturned. "Where's our guest?"

Tohru stood up quickly. "Um… well, he was awake and acted like he needed some privacy time so I let him outside for a minute since we don't have a litter box."

Hana raised her eyebrows but didn't comment. Obviously Tohru was hiding something but she wouldn't pry. She had more of a guess than perhaps anyone thought she'd be able to have, but she wasn't about to give anything away. "The soup's almost ready," she said instead. "I don't suppose we should wake Kyo." She looked towards his bed with a speculative expression, quite aware that he wasn't really asleep.

Kyo made groaning noises under the blankets. He definitely didn't want to miss out on food but wasn't he supposed to be asleep? He settled for "waking up" and rolled over, sending part of his quilt onto the floor. He sat up and blinked, rubbing convincingly at his eyes. He had recently been out of it, after all. "What's with all the racket," he complained.

"Oh, Kyo," Tohru said in surprise. "You're awake. Are you hungry? Arisa was heating up some soup I made the other day."

"I'm coming," he said slowly, doing his best to not just jump out of bed and down the stairs. His stomach grumbled loudly, adding to the effect. He hadn't eaten anything much at Kazuma's, just some tea. And then he remembered the package he was supposed to bring back for Tohru and mentally kicked himself. If Tohru hadn't been able to find his clothes in the snow, it was likely that she hadn't found the bundle either. So much for that, he thought as he followed after Tohru and Hana. At least he'd get something to eat.

.........................

Hatori ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly at his cousin. He let out his breath.

"What," Shigure quipped as he noticed Hari's reaction. He put his hands up to persist his innocence.

"Shigure," Hari said with a hint of exasperation. "I can't believe you would do something so childish." He paused for a moment. "Then again, maybe I can."

Shigure gave him a wounded look. "Hari, it was only a bit of cake! I thought it would cheer her up."

Hari looked warily around, not that anyone would hear them. They were alone in Hatori's house and the heavily falling snow pretty much said that no one would be outside, at least no one in their right mind. But still, referring to their head of house by her true gender was something that had been forbidden. "Did you stop to think that it wasn't something she would appreciate? It is, after all, something that her diet doesn't allow for."

"Oh, you're no fun," Shigure complained as he lounged on the sofa. "How did you get so frightfully dull? What happened to our high school days?"

"I grew up," Hari answered matter of fact-ly as he sipped from his mug of tea. "Something you, apparently, haven't managed to achieve yet."  
"Where's the fun in that," came the reply. He threw back a hand to dangle over the back of the sofa. "But at least we're warm, which is more than what I can say for some people I know. Akito really didn't need to smear the cake all over the room."

Hari rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she had help." In fact, he wasn't totally surprised, knowing Shigure, but it still had been a nuisance. At least they'd gotten the place cleaned up, after a few quick trips in the snow. It was the least that Hari could make Shigure do, clean up the mess he'd caused, even if he hadn't been happy about it. And it was to Akito's benefit that Hari had dragged Shigure back to his place instead of letting him get stuck in the main house.

"I wonder what they're all doing," Shigure mused. "How are Yuki and Tohru getting on? I hope that Kyo didn't transform back where either Hana or Arisa could see. That would be most inconvenient." Hari just made a noise to consent his agreement. "Of course, it would be very interesting to see how they reacted to such a scene. I just hope that they have enough fuel for the stove."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Tohru is very capable, and if Kyo is back up on his feet, he'll be more than enough help to keep them out of trouble."  
"If he can stay out of trouble, that is," Shigure interrupted. "He still has quite the temper and Arisa does have a way of bringing it out."

Hari gave his classic frown at that comment and looked out the window. "Well, if this snow keeps up, he may very well learn how to control it. Either that, or my specific talents will become very useful." He didn't add that he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Keeping something that large scale from Akito would be very difficult, unlike the last time with the minor run in with Arisa and Hatsuharu. That had been easily remedied, with no one the wiser for it.

"Hmmm," Shigure mused. "I wonder what everyone's doing over at the Main House? I hope they're having fun."

......................................

Hatsuharu Sohma pinched the ends of his hair as he leaned against the doorjamb. His face registered slight disdain and boredom as he tried to ignore what was going on in the room he had barely entered. Momiji was gaily dancing around the room, getting into everyone's face, annoying the maid, no doubt, and generally causing a ruckus. Haru wasn't sure why he'd even come, other then that he'd needed a place to spend the night.

He pushed off from the wall and headed into the other room, where it was quieter. Maybe he could find a room where he wouldn't have to worry about being intruded upon, where he could just be alone with his thoughts. He'd felt like he was under a very heavy weight. How long had it really been since he'd gone black at school? How long had it been since Rin had told him to leave her alone? Had it been only a few months? A year? He wasn't sure.

Haru ran an angry hand through his hair. Things were strained. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn't there, at the Main House. They were both so headstrong and he wasn't willing to let go of her or his love for her. Why did life have to be so complicated and unforgiving?

He slid down against the wall until he was sitting, knees pulled tightly to his chest. Why had Akito…? But no. Thinking those kinds of things wouldn't get him anywhere. And hadn't he detected a hint of change in Akito? Or was Akito just playing with everyone's heads? Haru had only seen him for a moment tonight, but it was hard to miss the steely gaze that returned his. The memory made his blood boil. How could Akito think himself so much better then all of them, head of the house or not?

He pounded his fist against the floor. If he kept on this track much longer, he'd snap. He knew it would happen and he didn't know if he cared. Sitting here, in the dark, it didn't matter. He wasn't afraid of Akito.

Footsteps came down the hall and the door he'd closed slid open.

"Haru?"

Kisa Sohma peeked into the room; her large eyes round with worry. She'd noticed Haru leaving the main room where Momiji was now telling various cousins and servants some story she'd already heard. Haru had looked upset when he'd left.

"Haru, I know you're in here." She almost timidly took a few steps into the darkened room but Haru didn't make any sound, holding his breath. He felt glad he'd worn dark clothing. He couldn't afford to go black with Kisa there. He would never forgive himself if he hurt her. "I can hear you breathing," Kisa added.

Hatsuharu sighed as he placed a hand over his eyes, head down. "Yeah, I'm here," he said wearily, waving his hand so she could find him.  
Kisa slid the door closed behind her and crouched to look into Haru's face. "Did Momiji do something to offend you? I know he can get over excited sometimes." Her expression could have melted any heart.

"No," Haru admitted, moving so that he could hold her in his arms. "I'm glad that you're still talking though." She snuggled into his embrace. "I was just thinking about something and needed a little space. It's nothing Momiji did."

"I'm glad," Kisa smiled. "Did you know it's still snowing? I heard one of the aunts say she hadn't seen a storm like this since she was my age."

"Yeah," Haru agreed. "It's really coming down. Maybe we'll even have to hole up for a while. Won't that be a blast. Everyone will go crazy and we'll all have to lock ourselves away so that Akito won't get upset at us and hurt someone. It won't help that Hatori's probably snowed into his place."

"You're very gloomy tonight," Kisa observed. "I wish you wouldn't be. It reminds me of Hiro."

"We can't have that," Haru said, making more of an effort. He started to playfully tickle his younger cousin who giggled. "Now can we? Maybe we can find some hot chocolate or something?"

Kisa jumped up. "That would be fun!" She grabbed Haru's hand and pulled him along behind her, towards the kitchen.

..............................

The snow swirled down in a vast cascade of sheeting white. She couldn't even see what was in front of her, let alone behind. Her long, slender arms wound tightly around her body. Even though she was wearing a long coat, Rin was still freezing.

She wasn't sure what had possessed her to come out in this weather. It certainly made no sense. It wasn't good for her health. She'd only come out of the hospital again recently. Even Hatori had admonished her not to over do it. But he wasn't there. He was probably holed up in the Main House, looking after Akito.

Isuzu Sohma cringed as she thought that name. Akito, the head of the Sohma family, the god-figure of the whole Zodiac Curse. He'd done more harm than perhaps he even knew, despite his malicious intent on everything. Isuzu hugged her chest more tightly. If only she had the strength to stand up to him, to demand the answer on how to break the curse…. If only she could protect Haru from Akito…. She would never forgive herself if he were truly to be hurt.

Rin stumbled in the snow. She wasn't sure what she'd stumbled upon but it brought her to her knees. The snow reached up around her, hugging her hips where she was sprawled. Whatever she'd stumbled on was under her. She could feel it through her coat. When she pushed her hands against it, it moved. Curious, she picked it up though she couldn't see what it was. The snow was falling too thickly to see anything, almost total white out. However, she stuck the object, which felt oddly textured, like wet fabric or paper, into her coat and stood back up. She would find some kind of shelter soon. She had to.


	5. Isuzu in the snow and Waking moments

It was nice in the kitchen. The heat from the soup was more than enough to warm everyone up. Hana sighed contentedly as she finished off her third bowl. "Ah, now that was a true Tohru creation." She looked a bit wistfully at the empty pot but made no further overtures about food.  
"Yeah, that really hit the spot," Arisa added. "Though I'm sure there won't be too many leftovers we can heat up for our meals if this keeps up." She indicated the window, even though the curtains were pulled tightly against the cold.

Yuki swirled his cup of cocoa and Kyo gazed off into space. "Thanks," Tohru said, "though you're the one who heated it up. I'm sure that tomorrow my hand won't be a problem so cooking should be fine."

"I don't think it will heal that quickly," Kyo said, coming out of his daydreaming. "After all, you only cut it up this morning."  
"How is your hand, Miss Honda," Yuki asked. "Are you in any pain?"

Tohru shook her head. "Nope. I'm fine." She smiled cheerfully up at everyone, though, inside, she was secretly keeping an eye on Kyo. She still felt a bit worried about him, even though he was showing his usual behavior for such a stormy night.

Everyone's heads turned when the sound of someone pounding on the outside door came down into the kitchen. Yuki looked up abruptly from his cup. "What in the world? I wonder who that could be in the middle of a storm like this."

Everyone got up and headed towards the living room, Tohru and Kyo in the lead. Tohru slid open the inner door and waited for Yuki and the others to catch up. She had no idea how much snow would come into the house, but she had a feeling it might be a lot. She went to the outer door and slid it open.

Several feet of snow fell into the entryway, followed by a very tall, thing girl, with long black hair.

"What the…" Arisa started to say but stopped at the looks of shock on Kyo and Yuki's faces.

"Isuzu," Tohru cried out and went to help the older girl into the house. Kyo came to himself as they were all blasted by the cold outside air and quickly closed the door, Yuki trying to push as much snow out as possible.

Hana and Arisa stepped back as Tohru, supporting Isuzu entered the living room. The sight might have been comical if it weren't so serious. Isuzu was very clearly the taller of the two girls and she looked totally frozen. Her face was deathly pale. "Quick, we need some blankets and something hot for her to drink," Tohru said, taking charge.

Arisa went to the kitchen for hot chocolate while Yuki followed Kyo upstairs for the blankets in his room. Hana remained behind, blinking in slight confusion at the electrical waves coming off the stranger.

Rin was shivering as Tohru helped her out of her coat, the bundle she'd found falling to the ground with the coat covering it as Tohru dropped that to the floor. "What happened," Tohru asked. "Why were you out in the cold like that?"

Hana watched while Tohru fussed over the dark haired girl. The electrical waves were very similar to Yuki and Kyo's. She leaned against the wall as she watched, noting Tohru's usual care and concern radiating from her.

"May I ask you something, Isuzu," Yuki said as he returned with Kyo. "What were you doing outside in this weather?" He seemed genuinely curious, with a good dose of incredulity. Kyo looked like he wanted to voice the same question.

"C..c..c..couldn't go h..h..h..home," came the reply as Tohru wrapped her up in blankets and Arisa returned with a steaming cup of cocoa, which Rin took gratefully, even though her hands were shaking so badly she almost spilled. "G..g..got lost in the storm."

"Did you fight with Haru again?" Yuki hung back, but he wondered.

Rin groaned and hunched over, trembling more violently. "Someone get a bucket or something," Tohru said, remembering the last time something like this had happened. Rin had come over to talk with Shigure but had ended up passed out after puking on the floor. Tohru knew about her ulcers and was worried that this was somehow related.

"Uh…" Kyo uttered and went for a bucket. He remembered the last time too, apparently.

"Um," Arisa spoke up, "who is this? Do you know her?" She had her arms folded over her chest as she watched everyone around her.

"She's a Sohma," Hana answered before Yuki or Tohru could say anything. "I can tell by the electrical waves emitting from her."

"This is Isuzu Sohma," Yuki introduced, calling out the names of Arisa and Hana for Rin's benefit. Rin merely shook at them, her teeth chattering as she clutched at her stomach, blankets firmly wrapped around her.

"Maybe we should move her to the kitchen where it's warmer," Tohru spoke up. "Or maybe draw up a bath?"

Kyo returned with the bucket and handed it over at arm's length, like he was afraid Rin would explode. Tohru took the bucket for her and held it. "Um… Kyo, would you please start the bath water? It might help Isuzu warm up."

Kyo shrugged and headed out of the room. "Not too hot," Yuki called after him. "After all, anything above warm would probably feel too warm."  
Kyo stopped and turned around with a scowl. "I'm not stupid," he retorted and continued out of the room. Disapproval and disgust rolled off of him in waves, but he controlled himself.

Isuzu groaned again, clutching at her stomach. It had been a while since she'd eaten anything and having nothing in her stomach probably only added to her discomfort. She dropped her mug of cocoa, which splashed hot liquid all over the floor and broke the cup. She leaned over onto one side until she was lying down on the couch, feeling too dizzy and cold to care.

"Oh no," Tohru said and went to pick up the broken crockery but Hana stopped her.

"Let me," Hana said. "You've already cut your hand. I'd rather you didn't injure yourself further." Tohru stepped back and let Hana and Arisa pick up the glass while Yuki got some towels to wipe up the warm cocoa. She wrung her hands, reminded of her earlier adventures with broken glass only by the bulk of the bandages wrapped around her hand.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hatori had one hand covering half his face as he held the phone with the other. Things were getting more and more lovely as time ticked away. At this rate, everyone in the Sohma family would be calling on him and he'd snap with the strain, not that there was much he could do about the whole situation.

"Try to keep her warm," he instructed Yuki over the phone. "It's important to make sure there are no discolorations of her fingers or toes, anything that might signify frostbite."

Yuki's voice was worried, but relatively calm as he tried to grasp everything he and Hari had talked about so far. "I…um…I don't think there is any discoloration, but she has complained about her stomach, probably her ulcer. Tohru and her friends are taking care of her at the moment." He paused, embarrassed. "They're giving her a bath."

Hari mentally shook his head, rolling his eyes. Shigure wasn't in the room and couldn't see the gesture. "Good. But don't let them overdo things. She'll need her rest, and if possible, someone to stay up with her through the night. She hasn't been out of the hospital long, and from what you've told me, she's still in a lot of pain. Don't let her eat anything with citrus. If anything, only bland foods would be ideal, and anything really soft."

"Um…okay," Yuki agreed over the phone. He'd let Tohru handle that one. He caught himself thinking that, remembering her hand. Maybe Miss Hanajima or Uotani could manage that one. He didn't know if he trusted Kyo to be accommodating. He knew the two didn't get along, but if it were for Tohru's sake, he might.

"You'll call me if things change, especially if they get worse," Hari continued. "If I have to, I'll find a way to get there tonight, but the snow is still coming down fairly quickly. I just hope nothing else happens."

"You and me both. I'm just glad Kyo's back to his usual sulking self. I admit, I was worried when I saw him in Miss Honda's arms, limp as string." Yuki hoped Kyo wasn't around for him to hear that. He was probably in his room sulking or something. He'd disappeared after they'd helped the girls get Rin to the bathroom.

"And how is Tohru's hand," Hatori asked, more out of concern than anything else. He knew she wouldn't be able to just sit by and let the others handle everything. She'd likely put a strain on the stitches.

"I don't know," Yuki had to admit. "But Miss Hanajima did re-bandage it earlier. I suppose I could ask her to look at it again before we all turn in for the night."

"A good idea," Hari agreed, then gave an appropriate parting remarks before hanging up. "It just gets better and better," he said to himself as he went to check on Shigure, more to make sure he wasn't getting into anything he shouldn't. But when he found his cousin, he was fast asleep on the couch.

xXxXxXxXxXxX

The morning was quiet, almost eerily so. There seemed to be a hushed kind of silence as everyone slept, like the world was covered in a giant blanket. Kyo slept on the couch in the living room. He'd opted to give up his own bed in favor of Tohru who had given up her own for Isuzu. No one had wanted to take Yuki's room, which was in a perpetual state of chaos.

Arisa and Hana slept on Kyo's floor, Tohru sleeping on the bed. They'd insisted she sleep on the bed, even though she'd offered to let them have it. No one had wanted to disturb Rin's sleep so she'd ended up with Tohru's room to herself.

Early light crept through the tops of the windows, casting light shadows on the ceiling as Tohru woke. She looked at the ceiling, momentarily confused about being in Kyo's room, until the almost argument of the night before returned to her. At first, she'd insisted on sleeping downstairs but neither Arisa, Hana, or Kyo would hear of that. She looked around the room and paused at her sleeping friends. She didn't want to disturb their peaceful slumber so she crept quietly out of bed and out the door, sliding it closed behind her.

She headed to her own room, to check on Isuzu. The early light filtered in enough that she didn't bother turning on the light. Rin's face was still a bit too pale, but she seemed to be resting comfortably enough. Her long hair had dried almost wavy and lay against the pillow in long, silken locks. Tohru smiled and quietly closed the door behind her.

Downstairs, she started towards the kitchen but stopped when she heard a slight moan coming from the couch. She tiptoed over to see Kyo with his blanket half on the floor. She pulled it back over his chest, tucking it in around him. His hair had fallen over his eyes so she gently pushed it back with her uninjured hand, feeling his skin under her fingertips. His forehead was a bit warmer than it should be, not totally unexpected, but still something that made her worry. She was glad he was asleep, resting.

She lingered over him, staring contentedly at his face, almost serene in sleep. He rolled slightly to one side, snoring gently for a moment before settling back into full sleep. She resisted the urge to stroke his cheek. Instead, she turned back to the kitchen. With luck, no one would wake up before she had breakfast made. They'd all make a fuss about it and how she shouldn't do such things with her hand injured like it was. But it was nice to know that they all cared.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hatsuharu, wake up! Wake up!"

Haru groaned and rolled away, trying very hard to ignore the bouncing orb of energy in his borrowed room. "Go away," he tried when rolling over didn't seem to deter his visitor.

"Come on! Come on," Momiji chanted. "The servants are trying to clear the walks outside. We should go see!"

"We should go back to sleep," Haru quipped as he pulled his blanket over his head. It had been a late night for him and Kisa. They'd stayed up late, sipping cocoa and talking about their worries and things in general. It was good to hear that Kisa had some time away from Hiro, who had taken to almost haunting her at times. He was holed up with his family, watching after his mother who was expecting.

"But I hear they're making progress," Momiji almost whined, his young voice still sounding as child-like as ever, despite his recent growth. "I think they said they'd try to clear a path to Hatori's first. I guess Akito isn't feeling too well."

"When is he ever," Haru muttered but came out from under the blanket. He didn't mind the idea of seeing Hari though.

Momiji had his hands behind his back and he was smiling as Haru rolled over to look at him. "That's not all," he said conspiratorially. "I hear that Shigure's been holed up with Hatori."

Haru sat up abruptly. "What? You mean Yuki is stuck alone, with Kyo and Tohru? Poor Yuki." His expression went vague.  
"I'd say poor Tohru," Momiji laughed. "She's the one stuck in a house of men, after all."

"Hmmmm," Haru mused. "Maybe we should go rescue her." He stood and reached for his shirt, putting it on as Momiji danced around.  
"That might be a little hard," he admonished. "There are a good couple of feet of snow out there. It's probably taller than…" and he put his hand out to try and measure out the height. "Anyway, it goes up past my knees. Not even the streets have been plowed. And I heard that school's been canceled until they can clear the streets."

Haru paused at the door. "School's canceled?"

"Well, sure," Momiji returned. "At least for a little while. Not that it matters today or anything. We don't have school anyway. But if they can't clear the streets, we don't have to go tomorrow!"

"Is that so," Haru replied in his more characteristic tone. "Well then, maybe by then we can dig a tunnel to Yuki's house and rescue Tohru from them. I'm sure she'll be sick of Kyo by then."

Momiji laughed. "Probably, unless he finally admits what we all know anyway." He spun around the room.

"And what's that?" Haru leaned against the door, his expression amused. He bet he already knew what Momiji would say.

"Why, that he likes Tohru, of course!" He stopped spinning. "I'm going to watch the servants." And he zoomed out of the room, Haru staring after him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru stirred the breakfast porridge. She was using her left hand, which was a bit awkward since it wasn't her dominant hand, but she was coping. She hummed softly to herself as she stirred. So far, she was the only one up, and that suited her just fine. They should all sleep in.  
She turned the heat off of the stove and went to slice some fruit from the fridge she's lain out on the counter.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Tohru dropped the knife, which landed point down in the cutting board. She felt like her hair was standing on end and her body was definitely rigid. She woodenly turned around, her expression one of complete shock, teeth gritted and eyes wide.

Kyo stood in the doorway to the kitchen, his face filled with outrage as he stared at her.

"K...Kyo," Tohru stammered. "I didn't see you there." Her heart beat a million times a minute and she put her bandaged hand up to her chest as if that might help calm it.

"Are you trying to injure yourself again?" His eyes sparkled with vexation as he entered the room. "We told you we'd do the cooking for a while. Give your hand a chance to heal."

Tears leaked out of the corners of Tohru's eyes. "O…okay." She tried to suppress a sob but wasn't very successful.

Kyo hit himself in the forehead. His shoulders slumped. "Oh, don't cry," he said in a more repentant tone. "Come on, I'm only looking out for you, ya know." He couldn't make himself quite look at her.

Tohru's shoulders shuddered. "I'm…sorry. I know I shouldn't have, but I didn't want you to have to bother about it. I just thought…"

Kyo walked over to her and took her hand. "Hey, it's not a bother," he tried to sooth. "I mean, you take care of us all the time, right? Shouldn't you let us do it once in a while?" He tried to smile at her, caressing her hand. "I'm sorry I yelled, but you really should let one of us do that."

"Uhhh," Arisa moaned as she walked into the kitchen. "What's with all the racket? This isn't some kind of brawl ya know." She looked over to Tohru and Kyo. "What's this?" She sniffed, her eyes going hard. "Tohru, did you – "

"Yeah she did," Kyo interrupted her, definitely annoyed. "I've already taken care of it. So don't go taking anything out on Tohru or anything. I've got it under control."

Arisa's eyes widened in surprise. Did she detect a note of tenderness behind his snide tone? The way he looked at Tohru confirmed it. He really does like her, doesn't he? she thought as she noted his somewhat protective stance. She waved her hand absently. "Fine, orange-top, just be nice to her about it."

"Oh, no," Tohru protested. "He just startled me. He didn't hurt me or anything." She wiped at the corners of her eyes.

"Good," Arisa replied as she walked over and took the knife, which was still sticking up in the cutting board. "Hey, orange-top, why don't you take care of that porridge while I finish slicing the fruit?" She gave him a look that brooked no arguments.

"Um," Tohru protested, "the porridge is already done. I was just letting it cool."

"Okay," Arisa changed tactics, "why doesn't orange-top set the table then?" Kyo grumbled at her but wisely kept his mouth shut

as he went for the dishes. Arisa took up the knife. "And Tohru, why don't you go wake Hana and Yuki. Breakfast will be ready in a minute."  
"Um, okay," she said and jumped to leave the kitchen.

Arisa steadily sliced the fruit while Kyo set dishes in the dining room. On his way back for chopsticks, she stopped him. "Hey, Kyo." He was surprised by her sudden change in tone, almost repentant. "Thanks for keeping an eye out for her. She'd probably do everything herself and die trying if we let her. So thanks."

He blinked at her, his face a show of confusion. He grabbed the chopsticks and left the room, not really sure what to say to that. Arisa just let him go, instead of offering the snide remarks she had on the tip of her tongue about being ungrateful for a compliment.


	6. Snow Men and Apologies

Shigure made faces in a vain attempt to make Hari smile. Hatori only raised an eyebrow at him and continued with his paperwork. Shigure's shoulders slumped. "Oh come now, it's not my fault it snowed so much. You can't blame me that we're both stuck here."

Hari didn't even look up from his writing, even though there was the odd shushing sound in the background, followed by the occasional tang of metal hitting something hard. "Yes I can, and it is your fault," he replied. "You're the one who had the bright idea to try and cheer up Akito, an attempt that failed miserably, I might add."

"You're no fun," Shigure complained as he leaned his elbows against the front of the desk, getting into Hatori's face over the table. Hatori did his best to ignore him, moving his paperwork to one side as he continued to jot down notes.

A knock sounded on the door. "Master Hatori," a servant called from outside. Hari abandoned his paperwork and went to answer the door. Snow fell inwards as he opened the sliding frame, revealing several servants with shovels. He took an involuntary step back as one bowed. "Master Hatori, are you all right?"

Hari's expression was one of mild surprise. He didn't seem able to find his voice.

"Well, hello," Shigure answered for him. "We're all fine here," he waved his hand. "Despite the heavy snow and lonesome company, we both survived." He put on his most dramatic airs, feigning faintness. 'But it was traumatic, terribly traumatic. We'll never be the same again."

Hari recovered himself and gave Shigure a look. "We're fine," he said. "The only suffering rendered was my having to put up with Shigure."  
Shigure sulked. "That's not nice."

The servants glanced sideways at each other. Shigure's ways weren't new to them and they both knew how Hatori detested his cousin's

attitude, or, rather, tolerated it. "Master Akito requested that we inform you that he would appreciate your attending upon him this morning."

They all knew it was more of a demand than a request, but putting it that way was definitely nicer. "We'll work on clearing the walks around your house."

"Very well," Hari said, inclining his head. "I will attend to him shortly." The door slid behind him as he turned towards his laboratory. "I strongly suggest," he said, addressing Shigure, "that you remain here for the time being and not antagonize Akito. I'm sure the servants would also appreciate it if you didn't get in the way."

Shigure pouted, preparing to put on another one of his displays but stopped when Hari gave him a look. "Oh all right," he conceded. "You're no fun but I'll stay here, all by myself, alone. Poor Shigure, all alone, no one cares about me." Hari shook his head as he grabbed up his bag and left the house.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Breakfast was a relatively quiet affair. Rin had not come down to eat and Tohru was anxious to check on her. So, while she went upstairs, the others, under Arisa's direction, began to tidy up the house.

Kyo stared at the blankets on the couch, the blankets he'd slept under. Part of him wanted to just curl back into them and sleep longer, but the noise of dishes being washed from the kitchen was a bit louder than he could stand for while taking a nap. He sighed heavily as he took up a corner of the nearest blanket and began to fold it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rin's coat, exactly where it had been left the night before.

The coat was slightly damp as he picked it up, holding it away from himself. He turned to find a place to hang it when his foot knocked into something on the ground. He looked down with surprise. There was the bundle Kazuma had given him only last night. He'd thought it was gone for good. He looked up, then back down at the package, making sure he wasn't seeing things, then bent to pick it up.

He had no idea what was inside. Kazuma had been very careful about that part. He only knew it was for Tohru. The paper bag was definitely damp and the brown paper inside wasn't too much better. He hoped that whatever was inside hadn't been damaged. He guessed someone had found it and brought it in for him. But he couldn't give it to Tohru like this. He'd have to let it dry out first. Kyo tucked the bundle under his arm and took up the blanket he'd folded, heading upstairs.

Tohru was on her way back downstairs when Kyo met her halfway. "Oops, sorry," Tohru said automatically when she bumped into the blanket Kyo was holding.

Kyo looked up and dropped the blanket as he put out a hand to steady her. "Hey," he said. "Um..." He tried to move around to let her past but the blanket was in the way.

"Here, let me get that," Tohru said, bending down for the folded article. They bumped heads as both went to grab the cloth.

Kyo resisted the urge to swear, rubbing his head. His face had gone red with suppressed anger but he managed to make himself cool down before looking back up. "You okay," he asked. "Ya know, you really gotta watch what you're doing."

Tohru looked a little out of it as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I was only trying to help."

"No," Kyo waved off her apology. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have dropped the blanket in the first place." He grabbed the offending item and scrunched it up under his arm. He moved towards the wall so that she could pass.

Tohru blinked a few times before she realized what he'd done, then hesitantly walked down the rest of the stairs, looking back at him as he continued up, blanket under one arm, bundle under the other. She caught a slight peek at the brown paper sticking out from under his elbow but nothing more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Momiji laughed as he put the finishing touches on a snow bunny he'd just made. "There you go, Mr. Rabbit," he said as he stuck a carrot stick in its mouth and stood up. "Hey, Haru, why don't you make a cow?" He looked to his older cousin who leaned casually against the house, a scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Later," Hatsuharu said, indicating the book he was reading. Watching the servants shovel the walks hadn't been nearly as entertaining as Momiji had hoped, and they'd refused their offers of help so there really wasn't much else to do.

Kisa looked up from her own snowman. "Haru, could you help me with the eyes," she asked in her sweet voice. "I can't get them right." She held out two large buttons.

Haru couldn't say no. He put a marker in at the last page he'd read and set the book down on a dry ledge. "Sure," he said, taking the buttons from her. "They should go like this." He pressed the buttons into place. "But you're going to need something else for the nose." He looked around and spotted the carrot on Momiji's rabbit. "That should do it." He took the carrot and put it on the snowman.

Momiji was too happy that Haru had joined them to complain about him stealing the carrot from his own snow creation.  
"Now we need to make him a little sister," Kisa declared. "This one can be you, watching over me."

Haru stopped in surprise but smiled when Kisa looked at him shyly. "Of course," he said as he ruffled her knitted cap and the hair under it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akito looked out the window at the younger ones playing in the snow. It almost made her sick. They were having too much fun and she couldn't join in. Not only would it cause alarm among her younger cousins, but she also felt slightly nauseous. Hari had prescribed yet another medication to try and help her get over that, something caused more by her stress than anything else. He'd admonished her to rest, but how could she do that if everyone outside was yelling and screaming about the snow?

She scowled, her dark eyes narrowed. One of the cousins looked towards her window and she quickly turned away. Let them make something of that, she thought. At least Shigure had stayed away. She was more than a little annoyed with him at the moment. It was completely his fault that she felt like this. If he'd left her alone instead of bringing in that infernal cake, something she wasn't bound to forget any time soon, she wouldn't have had the monstrous headache that had caused the nausea. It was bad enough to know that he'd been snowed onto the grounds and couldn't leave until the streets were clear, though she had to thank Hari for trying, not verbally of course.

She vaguely wondered about Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo, holed up in Shigure's place. She wondered how that would be. It was quite obvious that the two boys had feelings for her, and without adult supervision, who knew what would happen? Shigure might not have a house to go back to. That idea made a smile tip the corners of her mouth. It would serve him right.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yuki entered through the back door, rubbing his somewhat red hands together for warmth. "The porch is now clear," he announced. "And, with luck, the plumbing didn't freeze."

Arisa leaned casually against the counter as Yuki entered the kitchen, the last words coming from his mouth. "Great, not that any of us want to go outside to reach that downstairs bathroom. I'll stick to the one upstairs, thank you."

"It's the thought that counts," Hana said before Yuki could take any kind of offense. "And now we can discuss lunch." She reached towards one of the cupboards, looking inside. "Canned leeks," she said, looking at one of the shelves. "I didn't know anyone actually bought them."

Yuki tugged at his collar. That had come about because of a mistake on the shopping list. He'd misread Tohru's handwriting. Kyo had been horrified when he'd brought the cans home. Tohru, as usual, set herself to figuring out what to do with them. She still didn't have any ideas.

Hana pulled down another can. "Ah, this is much better." It was a can of baby corn. "I'm sure that Arisa and I can come up with something for lunch since you don't seem much help in the kitchen." Yuki cringed slightly at that. "Why don't you go find Tohru and Kyo, see what they're up to."  
Yuki blinked a bit, wondering what she meant by that comment, but found it a better idea to just take it at face value and leave the kitchen. In the front room, she found Tohru dusting. "Miss Honda," he said with some surprise. "I thought Kyo was cleaning this room," he added when she looked at him, her eyes blank with surprise.

Tohru managed to smile. "Oh, Kyo went to take some blankets upstairs a bit ago. I'm sure he's fussing over something upstairs."

Yuki bit his lip. "All right then," he conceded. "But remember that you're supposed to be keeping light activity. We don't want your hand to sustain any more damage, especially while Hatori can't come and fix it."

Tohru laughed lightly. "Don't worry. I don't think dusting will do anything harmful to my hand. I'm fine so don't worry. And Rin is fine too," she added. "I checked on her a few minutes ago but she was still sleeping. I decided it was probably best to leave her be."

"You're probably right," Yuki nodded. "Um... I've been banned from the kitchen. I think I'll go...clean my room." He turned and headed for the stairs. Tohru blinked after him. She couldn't recall a time when he'd actually cleaned it, without help that was. But she shrugged her shoulders and figured the possibility wasn't a bad thing. She'd keep dusting, unless she heard disturbing noises coming from upstairs, noises that might mean Yuki had been buried under a mountain of trash.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shigure sipped at a cup of tea, a bowl of plain rice in front of him. One thing was certain, Hatori wasn't into the fancy cooking that Tohru was and he definitely missed her cooking, just like he had when she'd come down with pneumonia. Hopefully this snowed in business wouldn't last so long. He could have, of course, gone to the Main House and eaten there, but he wisely steered clear, for Akito's sake. The real reason was that Hari had threatened him with all kinds of dire consequences.

Hari ate in silence, staring absently at the far wall, his expression unreadable. Who knew what thoughts were swirling around in his head? Shigure found it best to not even guess.

"So," Shigure interrupted the quiet. "Do you think they've killed each other yet? After all, they've been holed up for almost a full twenty-four hours now, all six of them." Part of him wondered if he'd have a house to go home to once the snow was cleared. With Rin and Kyo in the same house... he shuddered at the thought of the destructive powers those two had combined. The house was doomed.

"No phone calls," Hari replied blandly. "At least they're keeping out of trouble. Either that, or they're in too much trouble to get to the phone." Shigure squirmed at that one, secretly wondering if he wasn't playing with him. He decided to change the subject.

"Is Akito still mad at me?" He made his eyes go large with worry, but Hari's face remained the same.

"Yes," Hari said. "She blames you for everything at the moment. Hopefully she will soon calm down enough that she won't give herself an ulcer. She has enough problems without worrying about those kinds of things."

"We're going around in circles, aren't we, old friend," Shigure said suddenly. "Will this cycle ever end?"

Hari raised his eyebrows but only offered a humph for an answer.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana stretched as she stood from the table. She patted her belly with a contented sigh. "That was good," she said. Her gaze wandered over to Kyo who was taking a pot back to the kitchen. "Tohru was right. You can cook."

Kyo turned around for a moment, his expression pulling a surprised blank, before he turned back around and continued towards the sink.  
"No, really," Arisa added. "It was almost as good as Tohru's cooking." She gave her friend a bit of a hug. "Not that anything can compare with your cooking," she reassured.

Yuki looked out the window. "The sun didn't really come out much today," he said, trying to divert their attention. "Perhaps tomorrow we'll have to start digging ourselves out. It is, after all, a long way to the main roads."

Tohru smiled, laughing slightly at the idea of Yuki trying to clear the entire driveway by himself. Of course, Arisa would probably help, and maybe Kyo. She took her empty plate and a few bowls with her to the kitchen.

"We should take some broth to Isuzu," Hana said. Rin hadn't felt well enough to leave bed all day. Her ulcer had pained her and she still shivered. No one had called Hatori, hoping things would resolve themselves. Either that, or they were just too busy doing other things to think about it, reasoning that Hatori couldn't do much to help out since he couldn't come out there himself.

"I'll take some to her," Tohru said from the kitchen.

"Miss Honda," Yuki protested, "you're hand. You really shouldn't be doing things like that."

Tohru's shoulders sagged slightly. "You're probably right. But if one of you carries it up there for me, I can sit with her and keep her company while she eats."

Yuki smiled at her suggestion.

"I'll carry it up," Arisa said. "Then Yuki and I should do the dishes. After all, it's only fair. Kyo did cook."

"What about Miss Hanajima," Yuki began, his eyes turning slightly panicked at the idea of doing dishes, of being in such close proximity with someone who didn't know about the curse should something accidentally happen.

"I will be tidying up the upstairs rooms," Hana spoke up. "In preparation for another sleepless night, hoping that our nightmares don't become entangled in the webs of spiders hiding under the roof eaves."

"Um, okay," Tohru said for all of them as Arisa went to get a tray and a crock with some broth for Isuzu. "I'd better go make sure Rin is awake." She headed towards her room, Arisa soon following behind her. Hana began clearing the remaining dishes, taking them to the sink.

Yuki followed her into the kitchen and stared blankly at the stack of dishes.

"It's usually best to start by filling one of the sinks with some soap and water," Hana commented, noting Yuki's hesitant state. "At least that's how most people wash dishes. You do know how to get hot water, don't you?"

"Uh..." Yuki blinked, wondering if there might be some kind of trick to the question. "Yes, I know how." He self-consciously started the hot water, adding soap. "I'm just not used to doing this."

Hana watched him from under her eyelashes. "What will you do, when Tohru is gone? When she no longer lives with you? How will you manage on your own?" Curiosity welled up in her. What kinds of plans did he have for the future?

Yuki blinked. He had to think about that. "I... don't know," he finally admitted. "It's rather hard to imagine not having Miss Honda here. I don't know what I would do."

Hana bit her lip but didn't respond.

"All right," Arisa said, coming into the room. "You ready to do some serious dish washing, Prince? Let's hope you don't break any dishes. That's like a million years of bad luck if you do."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akito stared at herself in the mirror. She felt a little better tonight. The cousins had been a nuisance most of the day, but now it was fairly quiet. Those who lived inside the walls had gone back to their houses, thanks to the cleared paths the servants had created. The snow still piled outside the walls though, and the streets were still in need of clearing, so, of course, that annoying Shigure was still around. Thankfully he'd stayed to himself though. She didn't know if she could have handled his exuberance on top of everything else.

Kureno, her little rooster, had been out of sorts lately and so she'd let him go away for a few days to sort himself out. She guessed he'd run into someone, but she knew he'd be back. He'd promised her he would never leave her. She believed him. She had to. He was the only one who hadn't broken a promise made to her. He was the only one she could trust right now.

A small voice in the back of her mind whispered that she could trust Tohru Honda too, but she tried to ignore it. Sure, she'd helped her out, to remember Kyo's other form. Sure she'd started to... like her. She shied away from the word. But that didn't mean she trusted her. How could she? She was an invader, an interloper who was trying to take everything away from her.

Tohru had planted seeds in Akito's heart, but they needed nurturing. They needed someone to take care of them and there was no way that she was going to ask Miss Honda to do that. She couldn't trust herself around her. It was best to keep her distance, to show disdain for her, to not let others know that she'd shared a bond with her, even for as short a time as it had been. But that had been a temporary thing, she'd told herself. It didn't matter now.

She ran a hand through her black hair. There was no way it was anything like her mother's. Several people had told her that it was just like that slick, black, corrosive woman's hair. It was all her mother's fault that things were as they were now. She wished that she could just send her away to some distant island where she couldn't get to her.

Someone knocked on the door but she didn't pay it any heed, except to turn away and look out the window, pulling her robes up around her shoulders more securely. The stars were bright under a clear sky. Hopefully the snow would melt soon. The door slid open and someone walked in with bare feet.

Shigure knelt several yards away from Akito and bowed. His expression was almost unreadable, slightly determined, slightly downcast as he closed his eyes. She saw him out of the corner of her eye but chose to ignore him. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Akito," Shigure spoke quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you problems. I should not have intruded on your privacy. Please forgive me."

She meant to throw him out but something in the tone of his voice made her pause. There was a hint of sincerity that she wasn't entirely accustomed to when dealing with him. It caught her off guard.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said, still using that same quiet voice. He'd lifted his head to watch her but still knelt respectfully in front of her, allowing her to choose the distance between them.

She looked into his eyes, but she saw the deep, sincere brown eyes that Tohru had shown her that day she could never forget, the day those seeds were really planted. You're alive, they told her. Live. She shook her head and Shigure's eyes came back into focus. She shouldn't let that girl have such power over her.

Shigure misunderstood the motion and he bowed his head. "You don't have to tell me," he said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "if you don't want to. I'll leave."

For a moment, Akito's breath caught in her throat. I'll leave. Everyone always left her. Her father. Yuki. Kureno. Everyone. Though Kureno hadn't really left. He'd be back, but not soon enough. Her heart ached with loneliness. Would that ache never go away?

She walked the few steps to Shigure's side, hesitated, then knelt down by him, leaning against him. "Don't speak," she said gruffly. "Just hold me for a while."

Shigure's arms went around her for all that he'd started with surprise. She curled up in his lap, resting her head against his shoulder. It had been a long time since she'd been held like that. A very long time.

A few hours later, Shigure gently laid Akito on her bed, pulling the covers up over her. It had taken him a while to figure out she'd fallen asleep and he'd been more than content to keep her in his arms. He took one last glance at her still form before he slipped out of the room and turned off the lights.


	7. Confrontation and MIA

Kyo stared at the bundle on the bookshelf of his room. The brown paper had dried out during the day, leaving the paper looking rather wrinkled and…used. He wondered what was inside it, or if it even was the same package. But it had to be because there was that telltale scribbling in ink that was definitely in the hand of his master. What were the odds that Kazuma had lost another, similar looking package out in the snow? Not very likely, he decided.

He smashed his fists into the floor, resisting the urge to jump up and tear the paper off. The suspense was killing him. He could easily just open it up and look, then put whatever was inside back and no one would ever know. Tohru was in the other room, helping Rin. She'd likely be there for a while, just to make sure the other girl was okay. Arisa and Yuki were both downstairs doing the dishes. Who knew where Hana was.

He eased up onto his knees, eyes facing the package, intent on it. Weighing out in his mind, getting ready to pounce.

At the exact moment that he went forward to grab the parcel, the door to the room slid open and Hana walked in. Kyo stopped mid-lunge and fell to his face. Hana blinked as she saw Kyo in this rather strange position. He quickly gathered himself up, legs crossed, and glared up at her.

"What do you think you're doing," Hana asked as she stood in the doorway. "I must admit that this is a highly peculiar situation."

Kyo's glare turned into a scowl. "What d'ya mean? This is my room. I can come in here if I want to. There's not a law saying I can't."

Hana let out a impatient sigh. "I didn't say you couldn't be in here. However, this is where Tohru, Arisa and I are sleeping for a while. It would be wise to keep that in mind. I would hate for you to find yourself in a rather uncomfortable situation."

Kyo's jaw dropped. "Huh? What are you talking about? You crazy or something? I was only getting something of mine. You don't have to be so nosy."

Hana pretended not to hear him. "I've noticed something," she said as she closed the door. He felt a jolt of fear suddenly wash through him. "I first noticed it the day you started going to our school. There is something strange about you and your cousins."

Kyo's muscles tensed. He could feel the pressure building up inside of him. If he let it keep going, he would explode, but he had to know what it was she knew, what she'd noticed. "Oh really? Like what?"

"You avoid girls, for one thing," she said, watching him. "Hatsuharu pushed Arisa to the ground when she tried to gain his attention by grabbing him. I've also noticed that despite all the Sohmas getting along with Tohru, you all also avoid actual physical contact with her."

Kyo squirmed, not liking the direction that this conversation had taken. "I don't have to listen to any of this," he said angrily. "You're making assumptions. It's not true, any of it." He stood with that last sentence.  
"Isn't it?" Hana stared back at him, her eyes intent on his face.

Kyo entertained ideas of attacking her, but only briefly. What suspicions she might have would surely be confirmed when he transformed from the physical contact. Instead, he went to the door and wrenched it open. "Just leave me alone," he practically yelled. "You don't know anything!"  
Just down the hall, Tohru had opened the door to her room, the tray in her hands. She looked forward with surprise as Kyo stomped to the stairs. "Kyo," she called after him, alarm in her tone. Hana remained in the room where she sat. "Kyo," Tohru called again and started after him, but her pace was slower than his and she didn't dare drop the tray with its small crock and bowl.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Downstairs, Arisa and Yuki were just finishing the dishes. Both looked up at the sound of a door being slammed and they went to investigate. The inner door to the front of the house was open and snow lay just inside the outer door where it had swept in from the wind now blowing outside. Tohru reached the bottom of the stairs and joined them, worry etched deeply into her eyes. "Kyo," she whispered.

Both Arisa and Yuki looked at her. "Here, let me take that," Arisa said to her and took the tray, setting it down on the floor. Her friend seemed to be in some kind of shock. "Tohru, what's going on? Did you have a fight?"

Tohru shook her head. "He just burst out of his room. I don't' know what happened. But he'll freeze out there. We have to find him." She turned beseeching eyes to Yuki. "He wasn't wearing any shoes and I know he didn't grab his coat."

The light from outside was failing. Dark shadows started to fill the windows and Yuki stood in indecision. "I don't know, Miss Honda," he said. "It might be wise to let him cool down for a while."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "But he'll freeze out there. Please, help me."

A quiet voice spoke from behind them. "I'll help you, though I don't really like him."

They all turned around. "Isuzu," Tohru protested. "You shouldn't be out of bed. Your condition. You could get-"

Rin put up a restraining hand. "I know what I'm doing and I know that Kazuma and Kagura would never forgive me if I didn't help you. Our relationships are strenuous at best right now. I won't accept a no in return."

Yuki stared at his cousin with amazement. She was as pale as he was but there was determination in her face. He knew she didn't generally like Kyo, just as he didn't generally like him, but seeing that look on her face, her almost demand that they let her help, was more than he'd bargained for. "Let me get my coat," he said, giving in. "It will only get colder out there now that the sun's gone down."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hatsuharu looked at the floor, his hands clasped together as he sat. "Do you think they're all okay," he asked Hatori, not able to face the older man. They sat in Hari's home as the light faded from the sky. It had been hours since he'd played in the snow with the younger cousins, and now that he was there, and knew where Rin was, he couldn't seem to find much strength to leave.

Hari knew he was talking about Rin without him having to say it. Their relationship wasn't exactly secret from him, and he knew the condition Rin had recently been in. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I haven't received any phone calls today, so you might say that is reassuring. However, it also doesn't mean anything." He wished he could give his younger cousin something more substantial to go with, but he couldn't.  
Shigure lazed against his own seat. "Hopefully the snow will be cleared out tomorrow," he said. "I know that at least this area should be relatively safe for travel again. I don't know about the rest of town."

Haru didn't look up. "Figured it was something like that," he said in response to Hatori. He ignored Shigure's comments. The news wasn't really new to him. He'd overheard some of the servants talking about it. The richer end of town would, of course, be plowed out first.

"It's just hard not to worry, you know?" He twiddled his thumbs. "I mean, Yuki and Tohru, and even Kyo will probably be all right. Yuki's not the most practical but he's probably the most level headed." Shigure had to smother a snort when Hari kicked his foot. "And Tohru's pretty level-headed too. That shouldn't be too bad."

"Oh, it gets much worse," Shigure added dramatically. "Though, if I were you, I wouldn't let it get around. Tohru's friends are snowed in with them." This time Shigure's outburst of pain was louder and he rubbed at his leg while glaring at Hatori. "What was that for?"  
"You should learn to keep your mouth closed," Hari admonished.

"Hana and Arisa, huh," Haru said without little emotion. "Figures." He couldn't bring himself to work up to the proper emotion. Going black wasn't appealing at the moment, though he generally didn't have much control over that. "Well, at least they'll have their hands full with Rin, right? I mean, you did say they'd found her out in the snow, right?"

Hatori nodded slightly in confirmation as he looked at Shigure sharply. The words on the other man's lips died before they came out.  
"I think," Haru said thoughtfully, looking up, "I think that tomorrow I'm going over there."

Shigure let out sounds of protest.

"Don't try to stop me," Haru warned. "I have to see her, to know she's all right."

"But," Shigure protested, "The roads aren't even plowed out there. How do you expect to get in?"

Haru smiled slightly. "Easy, using my legs. That's what they were meant for, right?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The light had failed entirely as the small party of friends searched the immediate grounds. Their going was slow as they tried to trudge through several feet of snow. "Kyo! Kyo!" Points of light flashed as they shone flashlights into trees and darker corners.

Tohru resisted the urge to shiver. She'd been partnered with Hana. Yuki had gone with Arisa and Rin. "I don't understand," Tohru said. "It's not like him to just go out like that, not when the weather's like this."

Hana didn't reply to that. Instead, she swept the flashlight beam across another stretch of vegetation. "I don't think he came this way," she said at last. "I don't see any tracks. We should turn back."

Tohru fought with herself, fear playing out on her face. "But we have to find him! He could freeze to death. We can't give up." Hysteria bubbled up in her.

Hana turned to her friend. "Tohru, listen to me. He didn't come this way. It's not likely that we'll find him tonight. I can't sense his electrical waves. If they're out there, they're too weak for me to find."

Tohru shuddered at her words. "No," she said in quiet denial. "He has to be here. He has to be."

Hana's hand found its way to Tohru's shoulder. "Tohru, there's something I have to tell you. As a friend. It's my fault he's out here. I said some things to him that I probably should not have said. I wasn't kind. I didn't properly think through what I was doing. I'm sorry."

Tohru blinked up at her friend. "I don't understand," she said after a moment of silence.

Hana sighed. 'I intruded into his personal space. He didn't… take it well."

Light beams shown in their direction. "Did you find him," Yuki's voice came from the dark. Arisa and Rin came behind him, stepping into the light of Hana's flashlight. Hana shook her head.

"We should get back inside," Arisa advised. "It's starting to get colder out here. I don't think there's much more we can do." She didn't like the facts, but she couldn't deny them either. Sure, Kyo was sometimes a royal pain, but she knew what he meant to Tohru, or at least partly knew.  
Tohru shook her head. "We have to find him," she said with as much resolve as she could. "We have to."

Arisa shook her head. "We can't stay out here forever," she reasoned. "Your lips are starting to go blue with the cold. We have to get back inside or we'll need someone to come find us."

Hana nodded in agreement. "We can look again in the morning, when there's more light. Perhaps we'll be able to see his tracks then. Think of Rin." She glanced at the taller girl who was trying to keep her teeth from chattering. "We must take care of the immediate problems. Please, Tohru. Tomorrow is another day. We can look then."

Tohru tried to not let the disappointment show in her eyes but a few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. She knew they were fighting a losing battle in the dark. Finally, she nodded silent acceptance. Hana put her arms around her shoulders and led her behind the others as they headed back to the house.


	8. That which was lost.

Deep night hit with silence, inside and out. No wind blew. No mouse scattered about. No one snored. Hana lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, contemplating what she had done. It truly was a shame that Kyo had reacted like that. She hadn't been overly surprised. He'd always been running from something. Now was no exception.

Arisa slept, her hand clenching her pillow. Every now and again, she'd turn to either side, but mostly lay still. Hana contemplated her for a moment. Perhaps she was dreaming about that young man she'd met at work, the one who had said things couldn't work out between them for some reason. She'd never met the man and so couldn't read him, but that he would cause her friend such pain didn't give her much reason to like him.

Tohru rolled over in her sleep, curling up inside her blanket. Once again, she'd refused to sleep on the bed. She'd said it would be weird to sleep there since it was Kyo's. Even in the darkness, Hana could see the tear stains on her face, her worry. Tohru murmured Kyo's name softly, but longingly, then turned over again.

Why had Kyo run when she'd confronted him, she wondered. Why was Kyo always running away? Pieces to the puzzle she'd been presented over a year ago, pieces slowly collected, were gradually falling into place, but too slowly. Vague impressions filled in some of the gaps, but that, too, was not enough. The Sohmas were keeping a secret and she had a grasp of what that might be, but, again, not enough to be sure. Kyo's reaction had only solidified her current musings. She'd hit a sore point, at least with him.

She turned her face to look at her friend, her heart going out to her. The signals coming from her spoke of confusion, hurt, and a desire to fix things, though there really wasn't anything she could do with the situation, Hana knew. It was almost obvious what Tohru's feelings were, at least for the moment. She needed him, but how did he feel about her? He obviously enjoyed her company, even liked her. But beyond that, how strong were those feelings? She pondered these thoughts as time slipped by and morning light slowly slipped into the room. Before too long, time would run out for guessing. The truth would have to be found out soon.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kyo didn't have any direction in mind when he'd burst from the house, shoes and coat left behind. He wore his usual khaki colored pants and a t-shirt, but not much else. Despite this lack of clothing, the cold didn't hit him for several minutes as he ran, his arms pumping. Sweat ran down his face and into his eyes, mixing with salt water.

The snow crunched under his feet as he ran through, but his furious pace could only last so long against the depth of the snow and the toll it took on his energy. Before too long, his stride slowed and he had to fight for each step, his mind numb to anything but Hana's words.  
"I've also noticed that despite all the Sohmas getting along with Tohru, you all also avoid actual physical contact with her."

The truth struck him forcefully down and he lay panting. He couldn't get close to Tohru, not in the way he wanted, not in the way she needed. He couldn't hold her when she needed someone to. He couldn't just hug her on a whim. There was no way a relationship of any sort, beyond friendship, could ever happen.

Kyo rolled over in the snow, the back of his shirt soaked with melt and perspiration. His body began to shiver, waking up to the cold. Why had he been so stupid? He should have at least grabbed the jacket that had been hanging out from his laundry basket by the bedroom door, waiting for him to take it down to be washed. He should have at least done that.

It was dark out, and if it hadn't been for his cat eyes, he would not have seen many of the trees for the dark, except for the slight reflection of moonlight up into their branches. He walked aimlessly, trying to hold his body heat in by hugging his arms tightly around his torso. Shigure had to have a house out in the middle of nowhere. Admittedly, Kyo usually knew these woods like the back of his hand, but the light available threw strange shadows, and his own thoughts preoccupied him. He wasn't watching where he was going.

Kyo went down again with a loud exclamation of surprise that turned to one of pain. He went to his rump, his ankle twisted under him. "Damn," he cursed and gingerly drew his foot out where he could look at it. At first glance, he couldn't see anything. The cold from the snow had probably been his saving grace. His ankle had not yet swollen, but it was red closer down to his foot.

"Damn," he muttered again. Anger welled up inside him and he used that anger to push himself back up, with the help of a tree, whose roots had probably been the cause of the incident in the first place. Goosebumps ran up and down his skin despite the heat of his anger and he shivered. "Gotta get inside," he told himself and limped in what he hoped was the right direction.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

First light filtered in through the windows of Sohma House but Hatsuharu was already awake, lacing his boots. His expression was grim as he tied the last bow and stood up, sliding his arms into his long coat. Nothing was going to stop him this morning.

"Haru," Kisa called from behind him as he tried to sneak down the hallway. "Are you really going to go? Are you really going to try to reach them?" She was still wearing her pink pajamas as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

Haru stopped. "Yeah," he said. "Someone's got to get to them. Hatori says no one's heard from them for a while. I have to make sure they're okay."

Kisa's eyes were large as she stared at her older cousin. "Tell Tohru hello for me," she requested. "Ask her to call me, okay?"

Haru rumpled her hair. "Sure." He brushed past her, his stride determined as he set out on his quest. He sincerely hoped that Rin was still there. He wanted to talk to her, to try and explain things, though he knew she probably wouldn't listen. And he wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Of course, it was always possible that they needed him to knock out a few people if something leaked out that wasn't supposed to, like the family secret. He almost smiled as he remembered knocking Arisa out several months ago. That had been something else.

His walk through the grounds wasn't bad. Most of the paths had been cleared and the servants had started working on clearing the snow in front of the gates out into the street. A few cars had been through. He could see the marks laid out in the snow, along with the abandoned vehicles he passed on his way down the streets.

Everything was hushed, as if the every air was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. His boots and coat made hushing sounds as he walked, pushing his way through the snow once the tire tracks disappeared. He felt like an explorer, walking where no man had gone before. From a few chimneys, smoke curled up in the early light but all else was quiet. Everyone else had elected to be smart and wait for the plows to free them from their prisons.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru woke to the smell of something burning. "Ah," she squeaked out as she tried to untangle herself from the bedding, tripping over it in the process. It took her a few moments to get back to her feet and race down the stairs into the kitchen where loud voices issued.

Arisa was yelling "You idiot! Look what you've done." She held a smoking pan at arm's length over the sink. The smell coming from that pan smelled like bad eggs and rubber. Rin leaned against the wall, watching the whole event while Yuki's face registered hurt, a spatula in one hand.

"Let me take that," Hana said quietly as she reached out for the spatula, which Yuki surrendered. "Arisa, you might try to be nice. He was only trying to help."

Arisa wasn't listening. "Look at this! Just look at it! Ruined! Now what are we going to eat?" She dropped the pan with disgust.

"Um," Tohru spoke up. "Good morning everyone." Arisa and Yuki turned to face her, faces frozen with varying expressions of surprise and shock. "You weren't trying to make breakfast, were you, Yuki," she asked to break the ice.

Yuki blinked, then let his chin fall. "Uh, yeah. I was. I guess it didn't turn out too well, did it."

Tohru chuckled a bit as she walked over. "You probably should have stirred more."

"Yes," Yuki agreed as Arisa let out an exasperated sigh. "Or asked for help, apparently." He looked at Arisa momentarily.  
"All is not lost," Hana spoke up as she turned from the cupboard. "We have crackers and milk. If we soak them together, we should have something suitable for breakfast."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered and swept out of the kitchen. "Thought you would be more worried about finding Kyo. Instead, you're fighting over who burnt what."

Tohru went limp. "Kyo," she breathed. The entire incident had completely pushed him from her mind until that moment. "We have to find him."  
Hana put an arm around her shoulders. "We will," she reassured. "But we should all eat something before we go look for him. We don't want anyone fainting from hunger on the way. Who knows how far he wandered?"

"I couldn't possibly think of eating knowing that he's out there somewhere, cold and alone," Tohru said, tears pricking at her eyes. "What if he's hurt?"

Yuki walked up to Tohru and made as if to hug her but stopped. "Don't worry," he told her. "Well find him." Tohru nodded slowly. Of course they'd find him. They had to.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hatsuharu glanced up at the sun. He felt like he'd been at this for hours, and likely had. The sun had completely risen from behind the cityscape and was now slowly making its way across the visible sky. His pants were soaked from pushing his way through the snow, reaching up past his knees, except where it had been cleared by the citizens of the city.

The heart of town had already been plowed and he'd passed a plow on his way from Sohma House. He was sure that everyone inside would be glad for that, especially Akito. Soon, some of the more annoying cousins who lived a bit farther away would be able to leave. They'd even managed to clear the tracks for the transit trains. He'd been happy to rest his legs while sitting in one of the many cars, letting it whisk him from one end of town to the other, or at least as far as it would take him. Despite that time saver, he still had a ways to go.

The trees from the outskirts of town were starting to lean their heavy branches over him. Most of the snow had fallen from their boughs, leaving deep mounds of snow. Ice sickles grinned now from their branches. The air was cold enough he could see his breath, but it did feel slightly warmer than the day before.

It wasn't too hard to find the long lane that led to Shigure's house, but the snow seemed deeper as he trudged against it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru shrugged into her coat as she followed everyone else outside. Sunlight reflected back up at all of them from the snow. She was almost blinded by it. Shadows filled the tracks of their comings and goings of the day before in a varied and confusing pattern. "There's so many tracks," she said in awe. "How will we know which are his?"

Yuki stood beside her, his eyes open wide, along with his mouth, as he stared at the assortment of tracks. There was no way of telling whose tracks were whose. They ranged all over the yard, some more solitary than others, but still making it hard to tell which direction they should focus. "I…don't know," Yuki finally said as everyone else stood behind them, waiting.

Arisa scanned the area. "Maybe Hana can feel his electric signals," she suggested, but her friend shook her head. "Or maybe you know which direction he usually heads?" Her voice was less certain as she looked towards Tohru.

"We should split up into groups again," Rin said. "That way we cover more ground and will hopefully find him sooner. We can call out to each other if we find anything."

They all looked at each other as they thought that one through. Yuki shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to try. At least we have sunlight to see by. Should we stick with the same pairings as last night?"

"I think that would be best," Hana spoke for all of them. "Tohru and I will search behind the house. You three should search in front." Everyone seemed to agree with that so they split up into their two groups and headed out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Haru paused, mid-step. He looked from side to side, trying to figure out what it was that had called his attention. The sound of a twig breaking, the sound of someone breathing? He wasn't sure. It could even have been the light falling oddly against the snow. He glanced down and saw several deep gouges in the snow, like something had been dragged or shuffled through the snow, something large enough to be a person. The tracks headed under the trees and off the path.

He ran one gloved hand through his spiky hair, contemplating. If it were someone out in the cold, and apparently out for a while since ice crystals had formed across the gouges, they probably needed some form of rescue. Despite his black personality, Hatsuharu considered himself a compassionate person and if someone had managed to get lost out here, one of his cousins probably, then he had a moral obligation to help out. He veered off the cleared stretch before him, following in the wake of his new destination.

"Hey," Arisa's voice echoed back through the frozen air. Hana stopped as she listened to it. "We found something!" Hana grabbed Tohru's arm.

"Arisa says they've found something," she told her friend when she looked up in confusion. "We should go find them and see what they've uncovered."

Tohru nodded, not even given enough time to properly respond before Hana turned and started trudging back towards the front of Shigure's property, still holding onto Tohru's arm. She felt like she was being dragged behind a string.

"We're over here," Arisa called out as soon as she could see that Hana and Tohru were coming. Rin was bent over something in the snow as they approached through the trees. "Look, tracks. I'm sure Orange-top went this way."

Tohru caught up with Hana and they surveyed the marks in the snow.

"It's not his usual path," Yuki noted. "Perhaps he got turned around in the dark?" He was thinking about his not so secret base, or the garden, and how Kyo seemed to head that direction, more often than not. That is, if he didn't go up on the roof to sulk, though the snow had made that pretty much impossible.

Rin stood up, a scrap of cloth in her hands that had caught on a low hanging branch. It looked like part of Kyo's shirt, though Tohru couldn't be sure if it was the same one he'd worn last night. Everything had happened so fast. "It looks like he actually started out on the road," she observed, "then came under the trees. Look at the tracks."

Everyone turned to the direction she pointed. "You're right," Tohru said before anyone else could speak. "He must have gotten lost in the dark and thought this was the best way to get back. I'm sure if we follow them we'll find him." Without further delay, they all started trudging along the path before them, heading away from the road and deeper into the trees.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Haru sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. He'd been trudging off the road for a good while now. At least it seemed that way. And he still hadn't come across anyone. Up ahead, there was more snow, deeper dunes against trees and boulders where the wind had pushed it. And the gouges in the pristine white still reached ahead.

This was definitely more than he'd bargained for. It was supposed to be fairly simple and straightforward. Go to Shigure's house and see if Rin was okay, hoping that she'd let him see her. He could at least say that he'd tried. But here he was, going off on some wild goose chase after someone he wasn't even sure if was there or was what he thought it was. He let out an aggravated sigh and pushed away from the tree he'd been leaning against. Thinking like that was getting him nowhere. It was like a skunk chasing its own tail, and probably made just about as much sense. He continued to trudge.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Rin stumbled in the snow, clutching at her stomach. "Maybe eating something was a good idea," she said as she leaned against Arisa and Hana's willing shoulders.

"What's wrong," Tohru asked, though she was fairly sure she already knew what was going on. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Rin shouted rather angrily, but caught herself. "It's my stomach. I just should have eaten something. Come on, we should get going if we're going to find that stupid…" she stopped from saying what she meant, realizing what company she was in and pushed away from her two supporters. "Let's go."

Tohru followed close behind her, eyes full of worry. Hana and Arisa exchanged glances, though Hana's glance at Rin's back was probably more calculating. Yuki shrugged, not entirely sure what was going on with Rin, but glad that they were still moving on.

After several minutes, Yuki stopped, causing the others to stop behind him. "Huh," he said with a questioning expression on his face. "It looks like we've come back to the road, or at least that's what I'm assuming."

The tracks they'd been following crossed the empty stretch, followed by another pair that ran nearly right on top of the other. "This is odd," Hana commented as she looked at the newer tracks. "They were made this morning. But who could have made them?" She looked up and down the road but made no further comment.

"I don't know," Yuki said, "but they're going in the same direction as Kyo's. Whoever is out there with him could be either a friend or a stranger. Either way, we need to get to them quickly before something really bad happens."

Tohru gasped at his prediction, her thoughts turning to Kyo's tendency to transform into a rather frightening and somewhat uncontrollable monster. Fear made her heart thud.

Arisa pushed her hair impatiently out of her face and started forward. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find him."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was getting harder to tell where fallen tree branches and rocks were in the snow. The wind whipped snow kicked up in dunes everywhere. Some were merely snow. Others were objects covered by the snow. Haru was getting tired of tripping over things as he discovered which were which. He growled in frustration as he kicked at another dune, impatience filling him. He could no longer tell where the tracks were, if they'd merely faded out or had been covered over by the snow.

He kicked out at one of the dunes and made contact with a boulder. "Ow!" He cursed as he danced around in pain. He wasn't paying attention to what he jumped onto or ran into and so was unprepared for the sudden change in footing as he stepped on something not exactly solid, but definitely not snow. He fell backwards in the snow in surprise, landing on his rump, air knocked out from his lungs with the impact.

It took him a minute or two to get his breath back enough to check out what he'd managed to step on. His findings put him in a frenzy as he tried to dig Kyo's limp body out of the snow. His boot print was clearly defined in the snow covering Kyo's chest.

"Come on, buddy," Haru said through gritted teeth as he pulled Kyo closer to his chest, trying not to let himself shiver against the cold of Kyo's skin against his damp clothes. At least they were warmer than his older cousin was, though his coat wasn't quite big enough to pull around both of them. Haru slipped the coat off his shoulders and used it to pull around Kyo's body. He was heartened by the misted breath coming from Kyo's lips.

"Let's get you back to the house," Haru grunted as he picked up his cousin and began trudging back the way he'd come. At least his path was clear before him, now that two people had walked it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana stopped, holding Arisa and Yuki up. Realizing that the others weren't following anymore, Rin and Tohru also stopped and turned to look back. "What's going on," Tohru asked.

Hana pointed ahead of them and slightly to the right. "There." Arisa peered over in that direction, squinting into the light to see. "They're over there," Hana repeated.

Tohru's heart pounded as she tried to see what Hana was pointing at, not daring to hope that she really meant Kyo was out there, somewhere close by. She clasped her hands tightly together, ignoring the pain of the stitches stretching across her palm.

Arisa went up on her toes. "It's them! I can see them!"

Yuki looked up at Arisa's face, tense and unsure. "Who? Who is it?"

"Haru," Rin spoke in a whisper. "You fool." She turned away, turning her face to the ground and holding her arms stiffly against her sides.

Over the dunes of snow, and around the trees, Haru became more visible as he carried Kyo in his arms. His face was set in a determined line as he walked, not yet aware of those ahead of him.

"Kyo," Tohru called out and, ignoring Yuki's warnings and Hana and Arisa's advice, she ran forward.

Haru looked up at the sound of Tohru's voice calling out. He didn't stop, but his pace slowed ever so slightly as he saw who all was there. Tohru reached him rather breathlessly and they both stopped to let her catch her breath.

"Kyo," she gasped. "Is he…?" She didn't want to finish the question.

"I think he'll be all right," Haru answered. "Once he's thawed out a bit. It's a good thing he didn't transform. It would certainly make things awkward."

The rest of the group reached them at that moment, relief rolling off all but Rin who hung near the back, walking slower. "Haru," Yuki greeted in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

Haru smiled without humor. "Saving our friend here," he said, indicating Kyo. "I tripped over him on my way to your house."  
"Hatsuharu," Tohru spoke up, "you're soaking wet. And you're not wearing a coat."

Arisa stepped closer, blinking a bit when it seemed that the air around Kyo shimmered ever so slightly, like he was dematerializing, but that stopped as Haru hugged him closer to his chest. She wasn't sure if she'd really seen anything or not so she let it go. "We should get you both inside," she advised.

"Yes," Hana agreed. "I feel there is a change in the air. We should be inside."

Without further argument, they headed home, Rin trailing behind the group surrounding Haru.


	9. Meanwhile, back at the castle...

Akito sprawled across her bed. Today would have been a better day, she surmised, if she hadn't learned some startling things. So she'd been stupid and wandered the grounds, a large robe wrapped around her against the cold. And she'd gone without someone to keep an eye on her. She was the head of the family after all, and that shouldn't matter. It had been a while since she'd last eavesdropped on Hari's house, several months at least. Who could blame her if she happened to stop after hearing Shigure's annoying voice contrasting with Hari's in what appeared to be a rather suspicious manner?

Who could seriously blame her for wanting to know what her sometime love was plotting? Forget the old saying that an eavesdropper won't always like what he or she hears. She'd known that Shigure had been up to something the moment he came into that room with that stupid cake. She wasn't likely to forgive him for that. But there had definitely been a purpose to his coming and now her suspicions about there being more to all his stupidity this past week were slowly being confirmed. Though she couldn't exactly blame the freak snowstorm on him, even if though she wanted to.

Akito sat up and contemplated her hands. All the things her hands had done over the years. So much damage. Would they continue to inflict pain? Things were changing. She could feel it, and knowing that frightened her. She felt like she was stranded on a giant chunk of ice that had been set adrift, and that out there, somewhere, there was someone trying to rescue her, someone who couldn't reach her. Maybe it was her own fault.

But Rin was at Shigure's house. How she'd gotten there was a mystery. She'd disappeared after getting out of the hospital, the same night of the snowstorm, and now she was somehow at Shigure's, with Yuki and Kyo and…. Tohru. She felt a lump in her throat as she thought the name. She still couldn't believe she'd told her some of the things she'd told her, including her deepest secret as far as her family was concerned. Her femininity. And, in typical Tohru fashion, she had accepted it, accepted her.

But Rin. That was something else entirely. Perhaps they were too much alike to get along. Akito wasn't even sure if she wanted to try. Rin hated her and it was only natural to hate her back.

Hatsuharu had disappeared from the grounds early in the morning. She knew because she'd watched him leave in the early hours of the morning, watched and let be, though now that she knew where he was probably going, she wished she hadn't. Those two must not be permitted to be together! It was completely against her wishes, and she'd thought she'd made it more than clear to Isuzu that she didn't approve. Haru, of course, was more bull-headed about it, stubborn to a fault. Hopefully, though, Isuzu would keep to the set she'd shown at the hospital, a disdain for him because of what had happened. After all, it was her fault she was in the position she was in, hers and Haru's.

A knock sounded on her door. She drew her robes around her. "Come," she commanded in one sharp word. One of the servants entered the room warily.

"Master Akito," the servant said humbly, bowing, "Master Hatori has come. Should I ask him to wait?"

Akito looked to her clock. Was it that time already? She rolled her eyes and pulled her legs under her to sit on them, sinking slightly more into the padding of her bed as she did so. "No. Let him in." She wondered if she'd be able to control herself while he was there or if she'd demand some explanation. Either way, she wasn't going to cooperate with him, even if he was only trying to help her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took them half an hour to make their way back to the house. By that time, both Tohru's and Rin's teeth were chattering, though Rin did better at hiding it. She was too stubborn to let it show, especially with Haru around.

Yuki opened the door and they all spilled in behind him. Hana closed it behind them and helped Tohru out of her coat. Rin refused the help offered her, simply staring with her arms crossed as Haru gently placed Kyo's limp form on the couch and wrapped his coat more firmly around them while Yuki went in search of the blankets Tohru had put away earlier.

"I'm going to make some tea," Arisa announced and headed to the kitchen. No one protested, probably because they found the idea very welcoming at this point.

"I hope I didn't cause any damage," Haru spoke up while Tohru tried to keep enough distance to give him room but still keep close enough if she were needed. "I accidentally stepped on him while following his tracks. I guess he fell asleep in the snow and the wind blew it up enough to cover him. I should probably go call Hatori just in case."

Haru left off trying to get his coat to cover Kyo and went to find the phone. Taking the opportunity, Tohru knelt next to the coach and took one of Kyo's hands, the one with the beads around the wrist. His hand was cold against hers, even through the bandages on the one hand.  
"I'll be upstairs," Rin said suddenly. With a swish of her dark hair, she turned and headed upstairs. They could hear the door of Tohru's room slide shut behind her.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to remove his wet clothes," Hana said behind Tohru, causing her friend to jump slightly. She hadn't seen her come up behind her.

Tohru felt her cheeks go red. "Oh, I don't know," she mumbled. "I think that would be kind of embarrassing. For him, I mean," she amended quickly. "But we should still probably cover his feet."

Yuki came down at that moment, several folded blankets in his hands. "What's the matter with Isuzu," he asked. "She looked rather upset. Do you think she's not feeling well?"

Tohru's eyes went large. "Oh no," she said. "I… I didn't notice! Maybe I should…" She stopped as Hana placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Hana said and took a blanket from Yuki. "In the meantime, don't you think we should try to make Kyo comfortable?"  
Tohru nodded and took a blanket. "You're right." She unfolded the large rectangle and went to tuck it around Kyo's bare feet but stopped, staring at his ankle.

Yuki had unfolded a third blanket and was about to spread it over Kyo as well when he noticed that Tohru had spaced off, or so he thought. "Miss Honda, is something wrong?" He walked the few steps to her side and gently placed his hand on hers, something Hana didn't miss.

Tohru blinked. "Kyo's ankle," she said and gently took it in her hands. His skin was icy against her and she resisted the urge to shiver further as she showed Yuki what had made her pause. Kyo's ankle was discolored, like he'd received a very nasty bruise. The discoloration went almost completely around the appendage with the darker color near the outside, just above his foot. "Do you think he might have… broken it," Tohru asked, not wanting it to be true.

Yuki looked at the ankle. He definitely wasn't a doctor and it showed on his face as he looked at the appendage with mixed confusion and consternation. "I have no idea," he finally said. "I suppose we could always move it around and see if anything pops…" he trailed off at the look on Tohru's face. "Or we could just wrap it up tightly and hope for the best."

Hana leaned down to take a look. "It's probably a good thing he was in the snow," she commented. "It probably kept it from swelling." Yuki tensed, having a girl so close to him.

"You're probably right," he said hesitantly, hoping she'd give him a little more space.

Haru reentered the room, his face resigned. "Hari said we should probably try and warm him up the same way you did with Rin, in a lukewarm bath, then to wrap him up in warm blankets. I guess that means you and I have to take care of that," he said, indicating Yuki. "Then we'll just have to keep a close eye on him and hope it doesn't develop into anything. He asked about Rin," he added, looking for the dark haired girl, but she was already gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hatori shook his head as he hung up the phone. Things just kept getting worse, though he'd definitely had days that were more so than today. At least they weren't dealing with pneumonia or something, but not knowing if something like that would develop didn't help matters. Neither did the fact that he wasn't there to treat both Kyo and Rin, and Tohru's hand for that matter. He was sure it was being neglected. And Haru might need some attention too, after his stunt.

"Did you really have to call Haru an idiot," Shigure spoke up from his lunch. "After all, if he hadn't gone, Kyo might still be out there in the cold."

"I'm sure they would have found him eventually," Hari replied dryly and went back to his place at the table, sipping his tea. "It was irresponsible of him, to not let at least one of us know he was leaving. His ability to lose himself isn't exactly a secret."

Shigure clucked at him like a mother hen. "You're getting soft in your old age, Hari," he chided. "Though it was pretty lucky that he got there without a problem. And I really do think it was a good thing he went, even if we both know it was more for Isuzu's sake than for Kyo's. For whatever purpose, I'm sure he won't complain."

Hari shook his head at his cousin and slowly chewed his mouthful of rice so that he need not answer. Shigure was way too cheerful about everything, though it could just be Shigure being Shigure, as usual.

"Look at the bright side," Shigure continued. "At least we know where they all are and won't have to worry about whether or not someone will foolishly run of into the snow again. The others aren't as likely to do that." He shrugged. "Well, maybe Rin might," he amended. "But who's to say? Que sera sera and all that." He waved his chopsticks around, sending small grains of rice flying.

Hari rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I think you talk only to hear the sound of your own voice."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin covered her ears to block out the sounds coming from just down the hall. Even though her door was closed, she could hear the voices loud and clear, like they were standing in the same room she was.

"Look, I don't care if this is where you've been sleeping," Haru practically shouted. "We're kicking you out of it."

"Like hell you are," Arisa's voice came next. "Why should we give up our privacy just because you show up, huh?"

Rin ground her teeth. If this kept up, she'd more than erupt. The veins at her temples pulsed, pressure rising with her headache as she tried to keep from doing something stupid. But their voices kept going, arguing. Why couldn't they just shut up already?

She stood from Tohru's bed and strode over to the door, quickly slamming it open. "If you two don't stop this racket, I'm going to have to do something to stop the both of you," she threatened in her most dominant voice, anger flashing from her eyes. "Who cares if the stupid cat gets his room back? It's his room! Would you rather we put him with Yuki where he'll likely die from asphyxiation because there's no way a person can breathe in there? Do you think that would make Tohru happy? Do you?"

Her face was inches from both Haru and Arisa's as they stared at her in shock. "So stop all this crap and get along already. It's surprising that the dead can sleep with the racket you're making! I can't believe I've put up with you all this time. You all make me sick." With that, she turned abruptly around and slammed the door in their faces.  
Haru's mouth fell open.

"What the…" Arisa started but broke off as she stared at the door, her eyes wide with shock. Behind them, Hana was carrying another bundle of blankets for Tohru, who would surely soon follow. The words Rin had screamed rang in her head, the remnant of her pent up waves crashing still against Hana's mind. The stupid cat. Something clicked into place.

Haru let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall. Half a smile formed on his lips, sheepishly turned towards the closed door of Kyo's room. He could easily have snapped and gone after her, letting her have it for being louder than they both had been, but somehow, he couldn't find the desire to do it.

Arisa turned around, brushing past Haru on her way downstairs. "Fine," she said in a hard voice. "I don't care if we give up the room anymore. He can have it."

Tohru bumped into Arisa on the way up. She paused to look back at her friend, worry crossing her brow at the expression on her face. "Is everything okay," she finally asked. "I thought I heard shouting."

Haru pushed away from the wall and went to Kyo's room. "It's nothing," he said. "Just a difference of opinion is all. I think Yuki's got him ready now." He pushed the door all the way open, letting the light from the room spill out into the hallway. Tohru and Hana followed him inside.

Yuki had managed to put a pair of pants on Kyo so at least that part of him was covered. But he'd given up with the shirt, tossing it on the otherwise clean floor. He looked up as they came in.

Tohru set her bundle of blankets down and went over to the bed, pressing her palm against Kyo's forehead. "He feels a little warm," she commented.

"It's probably from the bath," Haru spoke up. "He was kind of a handful, like a jelly fish really. I don't think he woke up once though."

Tohru took one of the blankets and spread it over him. "He must be worn out," she said with concern. "But he has some color back in his cheeks," she noted.

Hana took her own handful of blankets and began arranging them on the floor, making a bed for Haru. "I still think you should sleep in your own room," she spoke up from smoothing the sheets. "I'm sure Rin won't mind the company. Arisa and I will sleep in the living room." She made the decision without consulting her friend who was now sulking in the kitchen.

No one wanted to sleep in Yuki's room, which was like the disaster zone after a tornado. Not even Haru had wanted that, despite his relationship with his older cousin. He'd very plainly requested that he sleep in the same room as Kyo, so that he could keep an eye on him. He also strongly agreed with Tohru sleeping in her own room, with Rin. "It will bring you closer to Kyo if he needs you," Haru said quietly, though he had thoughts of another person on his mind.

Tohru nodded as she spread another quilt over Kyo's limp form. "All right, but only if she doesn't mind. And you're sure you'll be all right in the living room?" She glanced towards Hana.

Hana smiled. "We'll be fine. Besides, I'll be closer to the kitchen."

"Better keep the cupboards locked then," Haru joked. He'd seen Hana eat and knew that she had an appetite like a starving cow, probably a bigger one than he had. Hana raised her eyebrows at him. He raised his as if to say, "hey, no big deal."

"Speaking of the kitchen," Tohru said, "shouldn't someone see to some lunch?"

Haru's stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He hadn't eaten since the night before, not even taking the time to munch on something after he'd safely arrived at Shigure's house, Kyo in tow.

Yuki stepped forward, thinking now was probably a good time to remind them of a few things. "Perhaps we can let that wait a bit longer," he said and Haru groaned. "I really think that we should take care of your hand, Miss Honda. If I remember correctly, we haven't exactly done a good job of changing the bandages."

Tohru hid her hand behind her back. She'd almost forgotten about that. But it was true. They hadn't changed the bandages since yesterday, and that had been long before they'd run out into the snow to chase after Kyo. Since then, she'd definitely gotten the bandages dirty, but she wasn't going to admit it. "I'm sure they're fine," she said, trying to pull the attention of three staring eyes away from her. "I've been careful," she added, hoping that would convince them.

"You're right," Hana said while glancing quickly at Yuki, then back to Tohru. "It has been a while. We should take care of that without further delay."

Tohru sat on the edge of the bed but Kyo didn't stir with the sudden shift under him. "I'm fine, really," she protested.

Haru gave her a long-suffering look. "I'm sure Kyo wouldn't be happy if he knew you weren't being taken care of," he said quietly. "I'll bet he'd be furious about it and make a big deal. But since he obviously can't, you'll have to settle for us worrying about you. 'You're not the only one allowed to do that, you know.' At least, that's what I'd imagine him to say."

You're always worried when someone else has a cold… She looked to the ground, her large eyes pricked with tears. "I know," she finally responded. "You're right. He would say that."

Hana eyed her friend curiously. The waves coming from her were not of the usual timbre. She guessed at what they meant but kept that guess to herself. Instead, she reached out a hand to Tohru. "Let's go see to your hand," she said gently. "I'm sure Haru and Yuki can finish in here."


	10. Chapter 10

Snow in a Fruit's Basket - Chapter 10 : Alone

'I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO AMERICA TO GET A STUPID SNOWPLOW," Akito screamed into the phone. "I WANT THOSE STREETS PLOWED IMMEDIATELY!" She slammed the phone back into its cradle with a loud protesting noise from the base. The fact that they'd plowed the main parts of town first definitely didn't make her happy. Didn't they know that her needs were more important?

"You really shouldn't abuse defenseless objects like that, you know," Shigure said as he casually leaned against the wall. He smiled in amusement at her furious expression, arms folded. She was always the same.

"GET OUT!" She pushed past him after blasting his eardrums, but he kept smiling despite her outburst and merely followed her into the hallway. He knew from long experience that she would now head to the outside where she'd sit staring at the snow, even if she didn't wear something warmer over her current robes. Hari would have kittens over that one, but he knew her too well to doubt the outcome.

"You might give the city a break too," he added conversationally. "They really are doing the best they can. After all, it's not like we get a freak storm like this every year." He chuckled to himself as he settled on the wide porch, right beside her.

"Leave me alone," she said, her tone more subdued, but still raw with anger. "Go laugh with your dragon. I'm sure you two have plenty to talk about." Shigure blinked in surprise. "And don't tell me that you don't. I overheard you two talking the other day."

Shigure smiled an almost sad smile as he looked down at the snow that drifted lightly over the lip of the porch. Sure the servants had cleared the walkways, but it was an impossible task for them to clear all of the ground. Even Akito knew that. " You'll catch your death of chill if you stay out here too long," he said quietly as he looked at her bare feet.

She shrugged away from him, turning her head so he couldn't see her face. "What does it matter anyway? You're all plotting against me. You'll all be glad when I'm gone."

He laughed without amusement. "Is that what you tell yourself?" Her mood swings were hard to predict and he had definitely not expected this turn. "It's not true, you know. I care."

She snorted at his comment. "You're like a dog worrying a bone, Shigure. Am I a bone for you to worry? Is that all I am to you? A bone? Don't tell me you really care for me. It's all a game to you. It always will be. You don't care at all."

He tried to put an arm around her shoulders but she pushed his arm away. "I wish you would believe me," he whispered. "Because I have never done anything except what would bring me closer to you. It doesn't matter who I hurt do to it." He said this last bit even more quietly, so quietly that she didn't hear it.

"What do you want," she said after a long silence. "Why don't you leave me alone?" He thought he heard a sniffle but wasn't sure.

"Do you really want me to leave," he asked sincerely, trying to fathom what emotion she was experiencing from the slope of her shoulders.  
"I don't know. I just don't want to be alone," she whispered. And as she spoke, her heart cracked because it was true and she'd felt so alone. Kureno wasn't there. The snow locked him out, just as it locked her in. Hatsuharu had broken free, for the sake of his love for Isuzu. She didn't like it but she had to acknowledge it. And Yuki and Kyo were with Tohru. She was the one who was alone. She had no one.

"I'm here," Shigure said, a bit unhappily. "And I won't leave you."

She gave half a snort at his comment. He, of course, was lying to her. He only wanted what he wanted at the moment. He would leave like everyone else had. Well, almost everyone.

"I'm happy. I'm happy that I know you, Akito. And I don't regret knowing you or anyone, not at all." But Tohru wasn't there.

"I promise I won't leave you." Kureno had told her this but he had left her. He was no longer like the others, and even more, she felt that her bond with them was cracking, getting ready to break. That left her more afraid than she'd ever been before. She didn't like, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it.

"But you left me," she said more loudly, now speaking to Shigure, though part of her was speaking to Kureno. "You moved away from the estate and into a house on the other side, as if you couldn't get away from me fast enough. And slowly, everyone started following your example. Ayame. Yuki. Even Kyo." She almost spat out the last name, though she'd been trying to break that habit, ever so slowly. But it was hard, hard when there were so many secrets that she kept, that only a few knew about, but even that circle was widening.

"As I recall," Shigure interrupted, "you gave your consent for the last two. Granted, I did twist a bit with Yuki. He needed the room to breathe. You know that as well as I do."

She jabbed him with her elbow. "You know what I meant. That woman was right." She never spoke her mother's name out loud. Just thinking of her made her want to either vomit or do something insane that she knew she'd regret, like trying to burn some of her mother's personal items and giving herself asphyxiation from doing so.

"But I'm here now," Shigure said reasonably. "And I'm not going anywhere." His words tried to wrap around her like a warm blanket but she wasn't having any of it.

"But you'll leave again," she said pointedly. "Once the roads are clear, you'll leave me."

He chuckled. "I thought you were just now in a hurry to have those roads cleared. I didn't know you were in such a hurry to get rid of me too." She turned to scowl at him. "But, if you really wanted me to stay longer…" He drew it out. "You could call the city back and tell them to take their dear, sweet time." He tapped her nose with the last word, something he wouldn't ordinarily do with her, but he thought it well worth the risk.  
She growled at him. "You're incorrigible," she commented but didn't pull away. "Maybe I should have them lock you up instead of the cat. Might be kind of fitting, the dog imprisoned while the cat runs free." She snorted with her sarcastic humor.

"I'm sure the rest of the family would love that," he said, moving in slowly. "They needn't know that I'm your personal prisoner. That way I'll always be near." His lips gently brushed her cheek, then continued when she didn't push him away, and found her lips didn't protest when his met hers. He didn't care that at any moment, someone might come around the corner of the house and see them. He didn't care that this wasn't something exactly acceptable, in more ways than one. And apparently she didn't either.

He couldn't remember the last time they'd been so close. Holding her as she cried herself to sleep did not count, and he knew it. But this, here and now, was what he'd been wanting, what he'd longed for. She did not struggle as his lips melded to hers. Perhaps she needed this as badly as he did. Either way, he had what he wanted, for now.

...

Tohru resisted the urge to scream as Hana cleaned her hand with alcohol. Tears pricked at her eyes and it took almost all she had not to pull her hand away. Hana was trying to be as gentle as she could, but her palm was a bit of a mess, the stitches pulled from her using her hand too much.

"I'm sorry," Hana said quietly as she worked, using a q-tip to clean the grits of dirt that had managed to get past the bandages. "But if we don't clean this properly, things will get worse."

"I know," Tohru managed to say from the corner of her mouth as she bit her lip. "It doesn't really hurt all that much." She was lying, of course. The skin around the stitches was an angry red.

Hana took one last swab at the cuts. "You don't have to be so brave," she admonished gently.

"Kyo said the same thing once, or something like it," she replied, trying to distract herself. Her voice caught a bit. "He told me it was okay to complain a little, to let other people know what I'm feeling."

Hana let out a soft sigh. She smiled. Kyo, apparently, was good for her. He wasn't afraid to tell her the things she needed to hear, and was a support to her in a way that Hana and Arisa couldn't be. She'd seen enough of Yuki's reactions around Tohru to know where he stood, but Kyo was a little harder. He was afraid to admit, perhaps. But that was becoming clearer, just like his true nature, and the nature of several others like him. She only had a few doubts now, and they would soon be swept away.

"What ever happened to that cat," Hana asked casually. "The one we rescued from the snow?"

Tohru's head jerked up. She turned to stare at Hana. "The cat?"

Hana's eyes narrowed slightly. This reaction was another confirmation to her, as were the waves coming from her friend. There was a hint of fear, but not the kind that meant she was scared. "Yes," she replied. "We brought it home, then it disappeared."

Tohru tried to smile, overdoing it. "Oh, that cat." Her face turned somber. "He didn't come back, you know. Once I let him outside for a bit, he didn't come back."

Hana smoothed on new bandages over Tohru's hand. "I see. I feel bad for him, out there in the cold."

Tohru laughed haphazardly. "Yeah, but I'm sure he's all right. I mean, cats are pretty smart most…. of the time." She trailed off. "What is it Hana?"

Hana shook her head, her dark hair shimmering with the movement. "It's nothing. I merely got lost in thought. That is all." She turned Tohru's hand over in hers. "There now. Hopefully that will keep it clean. We should go see about lunch now. I don't know if Arisa would appreciate it if Yuki tried to help out in the kitchen again."

Tohru smiled for real this time. "You're probably right. Thank you, Hana." She shyly touched her friend's shoulder as they left the bathroom. Things would work out, with everything, and everyone would be okay. She just knew it.

...

Haru looked at his bare feet. He wore a borrowed pair of Kyo's clothes while his own dried. It was funny that they were about the same size, he guessed. "It was a good thing you reminded everyone about Tohru's hand," he commented as Yuki tried to peel carrots under Arisa's supervision. "I'd forgotten that Hari had even mentioned something was wrong with it. Too much excitement, I guess."

Arisa dried her hands on an apron then reached for the carrot Yuki was peeling. "That'll probably be enough," she said as she turned to dice up the vegetable then threw it into the wok. "I don't think there's too much more you can help with here, though." She was trying to be kind, especially after the blow from that morning. After all, he was only trying to help, and he had reminded them about Tohru's needs too. "Why don't you two go check on Orange-top or something?"

The sound of veggies frying filled the air as Haru and Yuki looked at each other, then Arisa's turned back as she cooked stir fry. Haru shrugged and went to his feet, leaving the kitchen. Yuki wasn't too far behind him.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she wanted to be alone," Yuki commented once they were out of earshot. "I don't think Kyo's condition has changed much in ten minutes." They both slumped down on the couch. "Have you had a chance to talk to Rin yet?"

Haru sagged. "No, she won't open the door," he replied sadly. "I don't know what it is I've even done, ya know? If she could just give some kind of hint, that would at least be something. But she won't even look at me. I hoped that by coming I'd be able to get her to open up a bit, let me know at least why she said we couldn't see each other any more."

"I'm curious about that myself," Yuki commented. "You don't think that Akito had something to do with it, do you? I mean, it is possible."

Haru put a hand over his eyes. "Of course it's Akito," he sighed. "What isn't? He doesn't approve of any of us finding love. It's like he's

determined to make us all as miserable as he is. I don't really get it at all, but that's how it seems. It's rather depressing if you ask me."

Yuki looked at his cousin with a sort of surprised awe. He'd never dream of speaking about his head of house like that. Haru was definitely something else, someone brave, or foolish. He wasn't sure which.  
"Not that it matters," Haru continued. "I mean, there's not too much we can do about it right now, is there? Maybe Rin will come to her senses before too long and we'll figure it all out. At least that's what I'm hoping for."

At that moment Tohru and Hana came down the stairs, in that order. Tohru was smiling as she walked. "Hello," she said. "We'll all done now." She showed her bandaged hand as proof. "No worries. Now I think I'll go make lunch." She started humming to herself as she headed in the direction of the kitchen.

Everyone turned to look at her. "Miss Honda," Yuki called out, "Miss Uotani is already making lunch. I kind of got the impression that she wanted to do it alone. Besides, shouldn't you still be giving your hand a rest?"

Tohru stopped and turned around, bright smile still on her face, though kind of pasted. "Oh, that's all right," she said cheerfully. "It's much better now. I'm sure the stitched can come out soon so you don't need to worry. I'm just going to go and have a word with Arisa, okay?" She stepped into the kitchen and out of sight.

Yuki turned his attention to Hana who had sat down on the floor. "Is it true? Is her hand really don't better? Enough for—"

"The stitches to come out?" Hana finished for him. "I don't believe so. She's been using it too much. The stitches have actually pulled at the skin. I wouldn't be surprised if the cuts were infected."

Haru sat up a bit as Yuki leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

Hana looked down. "You know how Tohru is. She didn't want you to worry. I feel that it is partly my fault. I should have kept a closer eye on her. There was just so much going on."

"I'm sure you did the best you can," Haru spoke up. "After all, Tohru isn't the kind of person who likes others to worry about her. She probably wouldn't even complain if she were dying."

Hana gave him a sharp look and Yuki tried to keep in a gasp. "It only means we'll have to keep a closer eye on her, then," Hana finally said to break the silence. "She won't take care of herself as well as she should so we will have to keep an eye out for her. Kyoko wouldn't forgive us if we didn't."

They both fell silent at the mention of Tohru's mother. Each was lost in their own thoughts. Hana was remembering the promises they'd made to her. Yuki was thinking of that first time they'd visited her grave. Haru was thinking of Tohru's habit of putting others above herself.

"You're right," Yuki agreed. "We'll have to do that. Her mother wouldn't forgive us if we didn't take care of her." They all looked towards the doorway of the kitchen, listening to Tohru's soft singing coming back to them, along with the smell of home cooked stir-fry.


	11. Kyo's flashback

Hatori leaned against the door frame of his home, staring out absently at the rock garden. How long ago had it been since Tohru had come there, that first time? Was it a year? Two years? Longer? He wasn't sure. It had been another snowy day, with the white flakes coming down from the sky, just as they were now gently doing. And she'd slipped while trying to get on the porch, or something like that. He'd dived to save her from hitting her head, from falling. And he'd fallen instead.

How long had it been since…

"Hari!" Momiji jumped out from the woodwork, or so it seemed. One moment he wasn't there, the next he was.

Hari slowly removed the toothpick from between his teeth. It was part of his way of trying to quit smoking. If he had something there, he was less likely to put the real thing between his lips. "Momiji," he chided gently, in his usual voice, which made Momiji moan in disappointment.  
"Don't you ever get scared, Hari," Momiji asked him as he sat down on the edge of the deck and tried to swing his legs, though it didn't work too well with the depth of the snow. He decided to take his boots off instead.

"No," he answered the younger boy, his tone firm, brooking no further discussion. But it wasn't really the truth. He stuck the toothpick back between his teeth and stared out over the rock garden once more. His dark hair covered one eye, the eye that was all but blind. He'd felt fear that day, the day he'd asked Akito's permission to marry Kana. And this was his punishment for it. Perhaps the pain had outweighed the fear, but knowing that Akito could be that destructive had placed something there, something not quite like fear, but close enough.

There had been a fear of losing Kana, when Akito had whispered to him that it would be best to let her go, to erase those memories they shared. That it was what she wanted. He had been afraid he wouldn't be able to do it, but he had.

Then there was the fear for Tohru, when he really got to know her, when he brought her to his house for the first time. Momiji had been there then, too, letting Tohru know why he'd had her come when he couldn't get the words out. He had worried for her sake, and worry was close to fear.

And yet, despite that, knowing she was afraid of him, and afraid of Akito, she had chosen to remain where she was, stubbornly setting herself in a place where she had done so much good. Her stubborn strength, innocent and kind, had become something like an oasis to him, to all of them.  
When was the last time he'd really felt fear? It had to have been several months ago, when she and Kyo were at his home, under his care. When her fragile mind could not bring back the memories of Kyo and her acceptance of all that he was, and of his fear that she would not remember, making him more ill. He had feared for them both, then.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," Momiji noted as he pulled his knees up to his chin and stared out over the garden, potentially trying to figure out what he was staring at so intently. But when wasn't Hari quiet?

What had brought him to this train of thought in the first place? Ah, yes, his visit with Akito that morning. It was routine, and yet, there had been something different there, a hint of desperation in her manner. Akito was afraid, afraid of so many things. Perhaps that was why he couldn't blame her for all those things she'd done, because she'd acted out of fear, fear that she would lose them all. Fear, that one day, she would be alone, just as they all were, in their own ways.

He pushed away from the wall, a snowflake brushing past his cheek as he did so. "Are you coming in," he asked his young cousin as he turned to head inside. Momiji stood up with half a smile lightening his eyes and followed Hatori inside, the door sliding shut behind them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arisa smoothed the quilt under which she soon would be sleeping. She'd opted to take the floor, giving the couch over to Hana, even though the dark haired girl had offered to exchange. She sighed as she turned back a corner of the bedding. "I worry about her," she said quietly.

Hana sat up from her perch, eyeing Arisa with dark eyes. Some people said she was like a flower with fangs, a vampire flower. They both generally ignored such talk, though. "Yes," Hana replied, eyes intent.

Arisa stretched out on her makeshift bed. "I mean, someday she's going to end up leaving us, moving on, getting married. It's hard not to worry about the kind of man she'll marry. What will he be like? Who will it be?" She turned over to face her friend. "I think Yuki likes her."

Hana blinked slowly, methodically, like a cat contemplating a mouse. "Yes, it is true," she conceded. "But not in the way you're suggesting. Haven't you noticed that Tohru takes care of him?"

Arisa snorted. "She takes care of them both, him and Orange-top. What's the difference?" She leaned up on one elbow.

"Think about it," Hana advised. "Yuki is generally clueless. I don't believe his feelings for her are along that line. I strongly believe he sees her more as a mother figure than as a potential romantic interest. I wasn't sure at first, of course. But it has been growing on me that he sees her more as someone to look after him and keep him safe and on the right path. And, in that regard, she's been good for him."

Arisa was quiet as she contemplated that. In a way, she took care of them all, nurturing them, helping them, giving of herself even when she had nothing left to give. Hana was right; Tohru was like a mother, though she wasn't sure where Kyo fit into everything, unless he was the rebellious child. She didn't want to think of any other possible outcomes. Sure Tohru tried to include Kyo, and she probably even liked him, but to go far enough to say romance was involved? "A mother?"

"He respects her and would do almost anything for her, but the devotion he shows is not the same as a lover," Hana continued. Kyo, on the other hand… She didn't dare speak those thoughts aloud, knowing how Arisa would react to them. No one was good enough for their Tohru, no one. But was that really true? Out of all of them, Kyo was probably the best one for her, as he'd shown time and time again. He definitely cared deeply for her, helping her to be herself, to overcome her own fears and doubts. And he had a wonderful father figure who Hana couldn't resist. That was a definite bonus.

Arisa lay back down. "You know, I really can't see her with any of them," she commented. "It would be just plain weird."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tohru stared up at the ceiling. Rin, she hoped, was asleep. The lights had been out for at least an hour. And she'd been rather quiet most of the day, staying upstairs in the bedroom. She wouldn't answer for anyone but Tohru.

Kyo hadn't woken all afternoon. Haru had said it was probably just because he was worn out, but then it had started snowing again in the afternoon, and Kyo usually took a nap when it did that. Bad weather always wore him out. Yuki and Kazuma both had told her once that it was because of his being possessed by the spirit of the cat, a creature that doesn't like water. And yet…

She smiled, remembering things, just vague images, but still things that made her smile. And they were mostly about Kyo. Yuki was there, but in the background. She didn't dare tell anyone about those things. She was afraid they'd make fun of her or something. And Hana and Arisa probably would like the fact that her thoughts turned that direction. After all, they'd promised to look after each other practically for forever.  
She chided herself for thinking those things. There was no way that anything like that could work out anyway. They were all just good friends and she was being silly even contemplating anything like that. But still.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haru leaned against the wall, the bedding yet untouched as he stared at his cousin's still form, covered by several layers of quilts. The house was quiet. Had it only been an hour ago that he'd finally persuaded Tohru to go to bed? She'd sat, hovering over Kyo, listening to him breath. She'd even checked his ankle to make sure the bandages weren't wrapped too tightly. She'd only left once Haru had promised to call her if he woke or if anything changed.

He leaned forward now, elbows on his knees. It seemed like such an uncomplicated relationship. And he couldn't even get Rin to talk to him. She'd refused to come out, even for food. He thought he'd seen her sweeping across the hall once that night, but she'd come and gone so quickly he wasn't sure. But she couldn't avoid him forever. He would protect her if she'd let him.

"Oh Rin," he sighed and bowed his head. She was as complicated as they came. He just wished she would let him in, help him to understand the why to the what he faced, her disdain. At least that's how he saw it. "My coming didn't change anything, did it," he asked the air, wondering if Hatori had been right when he'd expressed sentiments of how foolish the venture was, even if he hadn't said those things out loud. Haru knew what he'd been thinking, or at least he pretended he did. Why was everything falling apart?

Kyo was hot. He felt like he was in an oven, it was so hot. Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran into his ginger hair. His skin was clammy and stung at the same time. It felt like his skin was on fire. In the dark recesses of his mind, images, feelings, and thoughts surfaced, hazy at first, but growing stronger with every passing second. It became hard for him to differentiate between the reality of his closed eyes and the dream he seemed to be having.

He tried to sit up, panting, while sweat poured off him. He couldn't see. Even his cat eyes had betrayed him. Something was holding him down. He scrabbled with his blankets but couldn't seem to find where they ended or began. He clawed at them anyway, anything to get them off, his nails extended. He was making shreds of them in his panic. There were things that felt like wires or strong cords holding him down that he tried to claw off. They were chains, chains around his body, pulling him downward. He severed one of them with a claw, only to set off a high pitched wail that hurt his ears, an alarm.

He continued to try and break free of his bonds but no matter how much he tried, there were always more holding him down. "No!" A sob chocked out of his mouth, though it sounded more like a gasp for air. There was something wet and kind of sticky on his fingers and down his front. His skin felt like it was burning.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside the room and the light flicked on. "Ah!" he screamed and flung a hand up to cover his eyes, blinded. The wailing siren that had deafened him suddenly stopped. Strong hands reached out for his arms as the tears stung at his eyes. He couldn't stop them from falling. He feebly scratched at the sheets, still trying to get away, but he had only normal fingernails now, not cat claws. He felt like his blankets were strangling him. They smelled strange, with the tang of something metallic.

Another set of footsteps entered the room as the owner of the first pushed the blankets away with one hand. Kyo's wrists were held strongly by the other, held away from the wires and the blankets, away from his burning chest.

"Here, hold him," a voice said. "We have to keep him from doing any more damage." He couldn't tell whose voice it was. If only he'd transform into the cat, he would be able to hear better. But it didn't happen.

"It's all right," he heard another voice say, almost crooning. "It's all right… Kyo. No one is trying to hurt you."

Something cold was pressed against his chest. And realizing that his skin was exposed, he shivered, shoulders hunching more as he tried to not gag. The metallic smell was strong in his nostrils.

Someone wiped his chest with something that made it sting even more. He arched his back, trying to keep the stinging cloth away from the skin but it didn't work. He struggled against his captor, trying to break away but the grip they had on him was too strong. His chest was heaving with each breath he took.

"Hold him steady. If we don't get this taken care of it will only make matters worse."

He wanted to open his eyes, to see who was holding him, but the light was too bright. He felt something being applied to his chest, something almost slimy feeling, then something like cloth being firmly pressed against that as Hatori applied bandages to his gouged skin. "Hopefully that will stop the bleeding," he said as he applied the last strip of tape. "I'll be right back. Just keep holding him and don't let him tear the bandages off."

The hands that had been holding him up reached around him, enfolding him in a hug, arms pinned against his sides, gently rocking him, like his master had when he was a small child, scared by the night's demons. "Shh…" The second voice continued right next to his ear. "You're all right. Hatori's getting something to help you sleep."

Kyo sobbed, his face now buried in his captor's hair. He pushed feebly at the bedding with his bare feet since his arms weren't free to do anything. "Please, just let me go. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault."

"I know. You're all right. I'm here. It's all right."

He felt a sharp prick on his arm. It didn't last long but it left his world melting in streaks, but his chest started to ease, if only ever so slightly. His muscles relaxed as he slumped back. "It's… not my fault."

Kyo opened his eyes. Tears stung the corners, leaking down across his cheeks. He couldn't seem to shake the thoughts from his mind, the arms holding him, the stinging of his chest. He pushed roughly at the bedding, bedding a lot thicker than he was used to, sitting up as he did so. His chest was bare but there were no wires attached to him, no monitors, and he wasn't in Hatori's house.

Light from outside reflected up onto his chest, revealing the lines of scars from that night, slightly pink, less visible than they had been before, but still there. He focused his gaze away from himself, the images of the bookshelf and other furniture coming into focus as he realized he was in his own room, in his own bed, piled under a mountain of quilts.

But even though he was awake, his skin still felt raw, like someone had rubbed sandpaper over it. He had no idea how he'd gotten there. He slumped back against the pillows, staring at the blank ceiling. Had it all been a dream? All of it? But if it was, why was he in his room, when Arisa and Hana, and Tohru had been using it? Wasn't he supposed to be sleeping on the couch?

He tried to think back, recalling Hana's words, words that made fear and anger swell up inside of him so that he had to run or burst. And he'd run outside, not caring about the weather, or anything else for that matter. Only the words Hana had said, words that had made him realize he couldn't get close to Tohru. Fear had overwhelmed him. He had no idea how long he'd run, how far he'd gone once he'd stumbled and slowed down. In the end, he only remembered giving into despair, admitting defeat. There was no way he could be with Tohru, not with everything against him.

Time was running out. The cards were stacked against him. He couldn't be physically close to the one he loved. He didn't even know if it mattered. Inside, he heard the voice of Akito whispering that he need not suffer long, that he would soon be shut away from society, locked up in the same room Kazuma's grandfather had lived in for so many years.

He brushed at his eyes. It did no one any good to dwell on it. It would be reality soon enough, and he would be alone. There would be no Tohru to come to him, to keep him company and make him smile despite himself. He would be cut off from everything.

And yet, there he was, back in his room. After he'd admitted defeat to the elements, someone had come to find him. Someone cared enough to bring him home, to save him. Who had it been? He wasn't sure. Tohru certainly couldn't have done it on her own. And yet, he felt as though she had been there, helping out as she could, injured hand and all.

He sucked in a lungful of air, lingering over it. He smelled her, the scent of her shampoo, the lotion she used, everything that reminded him of her. He lifted his beaded hand up into the air and looked at it. This was the hand she'd clung to all those months ago, when she'd barely recovered from pneumonia. This was the hand she'd held while she was helping him recover from his own illness. He almost believed that she would do anything for him, even if it meant imprisoning herself with him.

A soft snore brought his attention to the other side of the room. He leaned over the edge of the bed to see into the dark, surprised when he saw Haru leaning against the wall, fast asleep. He blinked back the confusion, his stomach rumbling at him, reminding him that he probably hadn't eaten for some time. His stomach won over his curiosity.

He threw the layers of quilts aside, surprised at how many there were. No wonder he'd felt like he was roasting, he thought. His ankle felt stiff and he bent over to examine it, wondering at the mass of bandages wrapped tightly around it, Tohru's handiwork, he was sure. Memories of twisting it out in the snow filled his mind. He had no idea what kind of damage he'd done to it but his stomach was more insistent than his curiosity or worry over it. He was probably too stubborn to really care anyway.

With a grunt, he was on his feet, trying to step lightly on the one ankle, grimacing a bit with the pain that he wouldn't let stop him. He'd crawl down to the kitchen if he had to. And made his way out into the hallway, slowly but steadily. Before too long, he found himself downstairs, sliding down on his hind end. No one was awake to see him so he figured it didn't really matter.

In the living room, he saw two bundles he assumed were people, one on the couch, the other on the floor. He decided to play it safe and went to hands and knees, trying to make as little noise as possible as he scooted past the sleeping girls and into the kitchen.

It was with a sigh of relief that he made it to the fridge and found some left over stir fry, which he quickly ate without bothering about utensils, using his fingers instead. He leaned against the fridge as he ate, his backside against the door, knees pulled up to his chest. He was so intent on his late night snack that at first he didn't realize he was no longer alone.


	12. Chapter 12

Snow in a Fruit's Basket Chapter 12 : A stroll in the dark

She walked quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. After all, it was past midnight and everyone was asleep, at least she thought they were. A floorboard creaked under her foot and she paused, muscles tense, then relaxed once she realized that no one had heard the noise. But still, she was cautious as she made her way to the kitchen. A light shown softly from there, and though she'd originally headed in a slightly different direction, she found herself growing curious. Who else was up at this very late hour?

Kyo felt the presence of someone before he heard anything, and it was dark, tall, and definitely not Tohru. He had no idea who could be out and about at a time like this. Certainly not Shigure. He wasn't home. A hand reached towards him and he jumped, his heart pounding. He panted, trying to catch his breath, one hand to his chest. After a moment, he looked up, and up again.

Rin stared back down at him. Her expression was unreadable in the dim light from the refrigerator. Her presence was, perhaps, made more ominous by the dark clothing she wore, instead of any type of pajamas, like she wasn't planning on sticking around.

"What do you think you're doing, lurking about in the middle of the night," Kyo demanded, trying to keep his voice down at the same time. He clenched his teeth and his fists.

Rin continued to stare back at him. "I might ask the same question," she finally responded.

"I was hungry," Kyo said in a manner that said it should have been obvious. "You didn't answer my question." He moved away from the fridge door, closing it behind him, then turned to face her at his full height, arms folded. "Well?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm leaving," Rin said in a frank tone.

"Whah?" Kyo's jaw dropped as he stared at her. "Why would you want to go and do something stupid like that? I already tried that and look where it got me."

Rin raised an apprising eyebrow. She thought it rather odd that he was still going around without a shirt, knowing his character, but that was totally beside the point. Hadn't he thought about putting something on when he'd realized he wasn't wearing a shirt in the first place? Or had he realized it yet? She didn't want to think about the real reason for her behavior, partly because she wondered if he might be able to somehow read it off of her.

"You're running away," Kyo guessed when she didn't respond. "Aren't you? You're running away from Haru."

She hugged her arms around her chest. "That's none of your business."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Whatever, though I'm sure I can guess why." He went to the cupboards and took out a glass, which he filled with water. "You're afraid."

Rin flung her hair, like her zodiac spirit would. "You know nothing about it," she said, but she didn't move from her spot. Her fist clenched tightly.  
"Yes I do," Kyo said, more quietly.

Rin glanced at him sharply, taken back but his suddenly serious tone. She didn't often hear him use it, and to hear it now, she almost wondered if it would be worth her while to listen.

"I know," Kyo said more firmly, though with the same level of sincerity and quiet. "That's why, with Tohru…" he struggled to find the right words.

"That's why I ran. That's why I was so afraid for her to find out about… my other form. I was afraid it would push her away. But it didn't. Sure, she was afraid, but she did something that no one else had done before. She confessed her fear and accepted it, and accepted me, even though she was afraid. At least with Haru, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing. He already knows about the weird shape changing thing."  
Rin found a chair, sitting on it, keeping her eyes on Kyo. Did she detect a hint of wistfulness in him? Was he trying to confess something that was as painful to him as her love for Haru was to her? It didn't seem possible, and yet, here he was, trying.

Kyo took a quick glance at Rin, turning slightly red as he did. "Listen to me, blathering. You really don't want to hear anything, do you?" He turned away as he took a drink.

"Maybe you're right," Rin answered him thoughtfully, causing him to turn back in surprise. "Maybe I am afraid, afraid of hurting him. You don't know what Akito…" she caught herself, remembering the fate of those possessed by the cat. "You haven't really seen what that person is capable of. I can't risk letting anything happen to Haru because of me."

Kyo swirled the water in his cup, unable to look up.

"That's why I'm leaving," Rin continued. "I don't want to hurt him anymore."

"Don't you think," Kyo responded, still looking down, "that by not telling him why, by running away, that you might be hurting him more than if you just told him everything?"

Rin didn't have a response to that. She hung her head instead. "It's all I know how to do," she whispered. She then slowly stood up, putting the chair back where it belonged.

"That's the only thing we all seem to know how to do," Kyo whispered back.

Rin didn't answer as she slipped out of the room and found her coat. She quietly skirted the sleeping duo in the living room and slid into the night, closing the doors behind her. Kyo stayed in the kitchen, contemplating the floor bathed lightly in the light reflected from the gently falling snow.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akito slept. She lay curled up in a ball on her bed, covers up to her shoulders but no higher. She had a sad smile on her face that broke Shigure's heart. He wasn't sure if he really should be there, staring at her like this, but no one had come in and told him to leave. And their shared time the previous afternoon had been so sweet, he hadn't wanted it to end.

Akito turned in her sleep, mumbling lightly, but nothing his ears could pick up or understand. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile, like the precious flower he associated with her. He wished she were his flower, that she truly belonged to him, and not just in fantasy. He felt actual physical pain upon recalling their tenuous relationship. It was like an ant falling in love with the sun. They were worlds apart, she a god, and he a lowly earthbound mortal.

He bowed his head, letting his gaze shift to the lower corner of her bed lost in shadows. They had spent a long time there on the porch, once the kissing was done, uninterrupted by anything else, just sharing the moment of holding each other close. It had been as uncomplicated a moment as any Shigure had ever had. They had no social demands, no places to be, nothing but the time together. How he'd been longing for such a moment!

He looked up and saw a strand of her short hair had fallen over her eyes. He gently pushed the hair back into place, resisting the urge to stroke her soft cheek. Akito turned again in her sleep, her delicate lips parted slightly as she groaned. He wished he knew what she was dreaming about.

"Father," Akito whispered in her sleep, tensing, then relaxed back against the pillows.

Shigure took a step back. It would be wrong for him to stay, even though he wanted to. Their precious moments together were still just those, moments. He wanted her for longer but knew that he could not push her. He debated, rocking back on his heels, then turned and softly left the room, wishing her a silent good night as he went.

xXxXxXxXxxxXxXxXxXxXx

Haru woke with a groan. His neck was stiff. So was the rest of him, for that matter. He let out a yawn as he stretched, then realized that he'd fallen asleep sitting against the wall. The bedding Arisa and Hana had set out for him was undisturbed, except that it looked like someone might have walked across it.

He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes as he got up off the floor. The room was still somewhat dark. Only a little light filtered in through the curtains. He casually glanced over towards Kyo's bed, saw a lump of bedding, and turned away to find his own clothes, which had been brought up before everyone else had gone to bed. It wasn't that he minded wearing Kyo's clothes, but they weren't his.

Not wanting to disturb Kyo, in case he wasn't still mostly comatose, he didn't turn the light on as he changed into his own, black tinted clothing. Moving more freely in his own attire, he checked the time, surprised at the hour. Everyone else was probably still asleep at this point, but he felt he'd better check up on Kyo, just so he'd have something to report to Tohru when she woke.

He stumbled to the bed, still not quite awake, but with eyes adjusted to the light. "What the..?" He fumbled with the bedding, not finding Kyo under the layers of quilts. With a hint of panic, he quickly went to the light switch and turned it on, shading his eyes against the sudden intensity, but the light only confirmed what his fumbling search had told him. Kyo wasn't there.

"This isn't good," he said to himself and went out into the hallway. The rest of the house was still. He traced his way to the upstairs bathroom, just to make sure Kyo hadn't gone there, but the room was empty. He peeked into Yuki's room, not really because he thought Kyo would be there, but just to be thorough, then peeked into Tohru's room, but didn't see anything out of place there either.

He scratched his black and white covered scalp, pondering. He wondered if Kyo would really be able to make it down the stairs with that ankle of his. With determination and stubborn pride, he probably could, but had he gone down there? And if so, why?

"Arg," Haru growled. "It's too early for this!" He clomped down the stairs, bare feet on the wood. Halfway down, he remembered that the girls were probably still asleep downstairs so he tried to be quieter.

Early light filtered through window shades downstairs, casting odd shadows across the floor, but Arisa and Hana still slept, the couch blocking out the sunshine seeping in. The otherwise spotless room was empty and Shigure's study revealed nothing out of the ordinary either, though why Kyo would go there was behind Haru. He was just being thorough.

Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen, the last room left unchecked, aside from the outside bathroom. He stepped into the kitchen, pushing back the flap that helped separate that room from the others, and stopped.

Kyo was curled up on the floor, bare back against a corner as he slept. Haru visibly relaxed, slumping his shoulders. "There you are," he said with little enthusiasm. He wondered what had brought him down there and when. He was more surprised that he hadn't been woken by his cousin walking around. Kyo's ankle looked a bit swollen from where he stood, but he couldn't be sure about that.

Haru let out a sigh, then went to get a blanket to throw over him. He didn't dare move him, more because he wasn't ready to face Kyo if he should flare up in temper. But at least that mystery had been solved and he need not worry about Tohru freaking out if Kyo really had disappeared. So there was that small adventure saved, at least for now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hatori glanced at his alarm clock and covered his head with a pillow. His alarm hadn't gone off yet, but it would soon. He hated walking before it went off. It meant he hadn't slept well. Another minute passed and the alarm began sounding. He turned it off impatiently and slipped from bed and into a robe. Soon the demands of the day would claim him, but, for a few precious minutes, he had time to himself.

He entered the bathroom and looked into the one practical mirror there, noting the slight droop of his eyes, the dark-ish circles under them. He'd better get himself to wake up before Akito needed his attention. She sometimes made observations about him, in attempts to prove his incompetence, supposedly, but he easily forgave the rude comments that had popped up in the past. They hadn't come so much lately.

He sighed as he leaned against the sink. The tress was slowly wearing at him again, but there really wasn't much he could do about it. He had no idea how much new snow had fallen during the night and he didn't know if he wanted to go look. He'd find out soon enough anyway. It only meant one thing, more delays. It would take longer to safely reach Tohru and the others to see how they were doing. He was particularly interested in seeing Rin.

Hari ran hot water, as hot as he could stand, letting it beat against him as he showered, coming out with red skin from the heat, which he tried to hold in by dressing quickly. He would probably have to go outside several times through the course of the day, not including the times he just had to get out of the house and away from Shigure, though Shigure had stayed at the Main House the last little bit. He wondered what trouble his cousin had gotten into over that and if Akito would show signs of unhappiness over his scheming.

Another glance at a clock showed him he'd taken a little too much time pondering on the trouble Shigure might have gotten into so he rushed a breakfast of plain rice and tea, going to his lab to check all of his equipment before heading over to the Main House, hoping he didn't run into any carnage on the way, courtesy of Shigure.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru woke as the sunlight slanted down across her face. She stretched, yawned, and pushed the covers away. "Good morning, Isuzu," she said, glancing over at the bed. The covers were rumpled, like the dark haired girl had turned away from the inner part of the room to contemplate the wall. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Tohru left her bedding on the floor as she went over to the bed to check on Rin but was in for a shock when she found the covers empty. "Isuzu?" She blinked rapidly, wondering where her friend could have gone. Perhaps she'd merely gotten up earlier and was now downstairs. Tohru shrugged, changing out of her pajamas.

"Good morning everyone," she greeted as she came down the stairs. Hana and Arisa were already stirring, folding up their bedding and putting it aside until they needed it again. "Have you seen Rin?"

Hana and Arisa looked up at Tohru's sweet voice greeting them. "Good morning," they called back to her but both had to confess that they hadn't seen the other girl. "But Haru is awake," Hana added, in case that meant anything to them. "He was in the kitchen the last time I saw him. Perhaps he knows."

Tohru doubted that, with the way Rin had been avoiding him, but she went into the kitchen anyway, to see what she could find. She stopped in surprise to see Haru wearing an apron, stirring up something that looked like eggs in a large bowl. "Good…morning," she greeted hesitantly, not sure if she should allow him to cook or not. She had no idea if he was any good at it.

"Morning," Haru greeting, his attention fixed on the task at hand. A small light flashed on the rice cooker, indicating that what rice was inside was probably done and that the machine was now going into warm mode.

Tohru walked up behind Haru, seeing what he was doing and was rather relieved to see him only making scrambled eggs with a sort of practiced hand. "I didn't know you could cook," she said with genuine surprise and admiration.

"I can't," Haru said as he stirred the eggs in the pan. "At least not well," he amended upon seeing the expression on her face. "I'm kind of like Kyo, I guess. I'm not really good at it, but I know a few things."

"Oh." She looked at him with round eyes. "Speaking of Kyo," she said recovering, "how is he this morning?" In answer, Haru pointed to the corner furthest from him. Kyo was still hunched up, facing the corner, but now a large blanket had been draped over him.

"My best guess," Haru spoke up, "is that he probably woke in the middle of the night feeling hungry, and no wonder. He probably hadn't eaten in over a day. Either that, or he sleep walks like Yuki does. How's Rin?"

Tohru glanced up quickly at the mention of Rin. "Actually," she hesitated. "I was hoping you would be able to tell me. She's not upstairs."

Haru started, then quickly recovered, moving the hot pan off of the heat before the eggs could burn. "But she was there only an hour ago," he said quietly, more to himself. "I was sure I saw here there when I came to check in on everyone, when I couldn't figure out where Kyo had gone to. She was there, asleep."

Hana and Arisa chose that moment to enter the kitchen. "No," Hana spoke up. "I felt her electrical waves in my sleep, but there are no traces of them now. I hadn't noticed before, but I believe she left sometime during the night."

"What?" Haru dropped his spoon, which clattered to the floor. "But why would she do such a thing? She's not well. Even you said as much." He leaned heavily against the counter.

"She didn't want to worry you," Kyo's voice came from the corner.

All eyes turned to face him. "What do you mean," Arisa spoke up for all of them as Kyo sat up, pulling the blanket around him. His hair was disheveled and his expression held a hint of pain in it.

"I saw her before she left, but I couldn't do a think about it," he replied, hanging his head. "It took so much effort just to come down here. I'm sorry."

"Where did she go," Haru asked quickly.

Kyo shook his head. "I don't know."

Tohru picked up the fallen spoon and plunked it into the sink. "I'm sure she had her reasons," she said, thinking back to last night. "She said something to me last night, now that I think about it." Everyone focused their attention on her. "She said something about needing to be somewhere but she didn't say where exactly, just that she had to leave soon or lose it, or something like that anyway. I had no idea she meant she'd leave so quickly."

Haru slammed a fist into the countertop. "Damn you, Rin," he muttered. "Why did you do it?"

A groan came from the entryway of the kitchen as Yuki entered, rubbing at his eyes. "We should call the main house," he said, "Unless I was dreaming that you said Rin was missing. Hatori would want to know."

Arisa glanced from face to face. "So," she finally said, "aren't we going to go after her?" Haru shook his head, causing Arisa to give him a rather incredulous look. "You don't mean to tell me you're just going to let her go?"

"What can we do," Yuki asked. "If she doesn't want to be found, no one will be able to find her. I'll call Hatori."


	13. Chapter 13

Snow In a Fruit's Basket Chapter 13 : The Bomb Under The Chair

Momiji leaned against Hatori's desk as the older of the two sighed, then hung up the phone. "Is everything okay, Hari," he asked his older cousin.  
Hatori ran a hand across the back of his neck. "It would seem that Rin decided to make her escape from Haru. I can't say that I'm overly surprised, but I wish she hadn't done it. If she pushes herself too hard, we could very easily have a repeat episode. I know Haru thought he was doing something useful when he went, but I can't help but wonder if this wouldn't have happened if he had just stayed here."

Momiji shook his head. "He would have gone anyway," he replied. "He doesn't say much about it, but Haru still really loves her and he just wants to understand why she doesn't want him to. I'd run to, if I were her."

"Momiji, that isn't exactly very helpful," Hari admonished. "Someone will have to go out and look for her now. And with more snow on the ground, that could make things difficult."

Momiji rocked on his heels, then turns a circle. "I could go look for her," he offered. "I know," he added, seeing the look on Hari's face. "It's dangerous and I probably shouldn't, but I'd be more of a natural at it than someone like…Shigure would be. I do know a few places she might have gone, after all."

Hari absently ran a hand through Momiji's blonde hair, ruffling it. "Perhaps we should talk to Kazuma before you get too involved in all of this. He would probably have a better idea of where she might be than any of us."  
"Hurray!" Momiji cheered, following Hatori out.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yuki stared out the window, at the fresh layer of snow. It had been a while since he'd had a chance to let himself really think. How long had it been since the last snowfall? He remembered going to see Machi with her half-brother. How he'd told him about Machi's making prints in the snow and he'd learned how she hated being perfect because of her parents. He'd promised her that the next snowfall, he'd go out and make prints in the snow with her.

He sighed as he remembered, then pulled the shutters back over the windows. Thinking about it now didn't do him any good. He wasn't even entirely sure how he felt about her, definitely not the same way he felt about Tohru. That was for sure. His feelings for Machi were totally different, something he'd never really experienced before. But it might not even matter, in the end, if the curse were to remain unbroken.  
Yuki left the window and decided to go upstairs. Tohru was doing laundry again, though it would have to dry inside. They were running out of clean clothes, and Arisa and Hana were helping her, so that took care of them. Haru was probably off sulking, no, thinking, somewhere, wondering why Rin chose to leave. He didn't know what Kyo was doing.

He was just about to pass Kyo's room when he stopped. The door was partially opened and he looked in. Kyo was standing, facing the bookshelf. His fists were clenched as he stood rigidly, his teeth also clenched. Yuki noticed that the wrappings around his one ankle were coming lose but he couldn't seem to make himself move or say anything at the moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyo gritted his teeth, keeping back the sounds of pain part of him wanted to let out. His ankle throbbed but he wasn't going to let it beat him. After all, it was his own fault it had happened. And here he was, staring at the package, that mysterious package that kept turning up in his mind. In an almost nervous twitch, he snatched it up and limped over to his bed, sitting down. He didn't even realize his door wasn't completely closed as he tried to situate his ankle in a way that didn't hurt.

The paper crackled under his fingers. His hands shook as he tried to unfold the bag without ripping it. The paper ripped anyway and Kyo almost jumped in panic, but kept himself from doing anything like that, suppressing the urge to yelp out in surprise. He licked his lips nervously. He'd come this far.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yuki seemed to be holding his breath, though he didn't exactly know why. He didn't know why Kyo was acting so strangely, opening some odd bundle that he wasn't sure if he'd seen before or not. He thought Kyo acted almost guilty, but he wasn't sure.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyo carefully slid the contents of the paper out, a plastic bag easily opened, and yet he hesitated, wincing as he shifted his ankle unconsciously under him. But he'd come too far to stop now that he'd begun. It looked like whatever was in this bag was wrapped in fabric, white fabric. He carefully took that out of the bag and began to slowly unfold that.

A white envelope fell to the floor, but he didn't see it as he looked at what was in his hands. He wasn't sure what he felt. Shock. A sense of overwhelming sadness. Loathing. He wanted to take this precious bundle of memories and burn them, rip them to shreds, but they weren't his. Kazuma was giving them to Tohru, but how he'd gotten them was beyond him.

He turned his face downward, shame rolling through him as he was jolted by a thousand memories, memories brought back by the photos he held in his hands. How had Kazuma gotten his hands on them? How had he found them, and so many? He felt hot tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

No matter where he went, no matter how he tried, something always came up to smack him in the face, to remind him why he couldn't be with Tohru. He felt himself spiraling down in misery.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yuki's mouth fell open when he saw Kyo slump over on the bed, though it wasn't the kind that came from exhaustion or illness, at least not physical illness. It was the kind of slump that reminded Yuki of when he'd lost heart so many times, when Akito had asked him if he was going to die all those years ago, when he'd despaired of ever finding meaning in life. That was what Kyo's behavior reminded him of, utmost sorrow and despair.

He saw Kyo throw a handful of photos from his hands, scattering them across the floor of his room, like he didn't care anymore. Then he buried his face in his pillow and Yuki couldn't watch anymore. He backed up against the far wall, one hand to his chest, not really sure what he'd just witnessed. But he had never seen such pain on Kyo's face before, and he knew it wasn't because of his physical injury, but an injury of the soul.  
He took a step forward, closer to the door, but Kyo had turned his back to the door. Yuki took the door and silently slid it closed the rest of the way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tohru smiled as she folded yet another towel. "Having several people to help makes this go so much faster," she commented to her friends.  
"We're happy to help," Hana spoke up. She was keeping a close eye on Tohru, making sure she didn't overdo things with her hand, counting on Arisa to back her up when she thought Tohru was doing too much.

"Do you think it will snow anymore," Tohru asked absently as she placed the towel in a pile of already folded towels. "I mean, it did snow more last night. If it keeps up, we might end up being stuck here indefinitely."

Arisa rolled her eyes. "Even the snow has to stop sometime, and the sun come out. Come on, you know that, right? Spring is, after all, you're favorite season." She patted her friend affectionately on the head.

"But seriously, it had better stop or we're going to seriously run out of food. We're just about down to beans and rice as is. Kyo won't be happy about being out of milk."

Tohru paused in her folding. "Oh, you're right. I didn't think about that. I guess I've been worrying about Rin too much. I hope she's okay."  
"I'm sure she's fine," Hana spoke up. "I don't foresee her coming into any danger."

Tohru sighed with relief, though she couldn't always be sure about what Hana said when it came to predicting the future. But she really hadn't been wrong yet so she decided not to worry. "You're right. I guess what I really should worry about is making sure Kyo doesn't over do things until his ankle is better."

"And we have to make sure you don't overdo things until your hand is better," Arisa intoned, reminding her of the injury. "Speaking of your hand, how is it today?"

Tohru held up the bandaged appendage. "Better. I don't feel any pain today."

"That's good," Hana commented. "Perhaps we might be able to keep you from trouble enough that it will completely heal."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akito paced one of the halls. She'd had another dream last night, about her father. He'd come to her, to speak with her. She tried to grasp the words before they faded away.

"Akito, don't be afraid. You were born to be loved. Everyone has been waiting for you. Things will begin happening that you may not understand, but don't be afraid. It may seem lonely at times, but you are not alone. You were born to be loved."

She couldn't remember what might have sparked the dream, what thought, what action. She remembered Shigure holding her, kissing her passionately. She hadn't wanted him to leave, but propriety dictated that he should and so she'd sent him away, but she'd smelled his smell that morning as she'd gotten up. Had that sparked the dream?

Things will begin happening that you may not understand, but don't be afraid. What had he meant by that? She wanted to pound something in frustration. What did he mean? Did he mean everything she felt now? That things were falling apart? How could she not be afraid of that?  
You were born to be loved.

And yet she felt like everything was slipping away from her, like melting ice in the spring slips away, through fingers holding too tightly, only aiding to the melting process. Was that what she was doing? Holding so tightly that everything was melting? What that why everything felt like it was falling apart? But how could she do anything differently? How could she change who she was and how she did things when it was all she knew?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Kyo didn't come down for dinner," Tohru noted. "Maybe I should go check in on him." She rose from the table but Yuki put up a restraining hand.  
"No, Miss Honda. He was sleeping. We can save some for him for later," he advised. "You know how he gets when someone just wakes him. But I'll go check on him for you, if that's all right with you?"

Tohru nodded. "Thank you, Yuki. I'll just help clear the table then."

Yuki didn't hear the resulting complaints from Arisa and Hana as Tohru tried to help them. He didn't need to in order to know it was coming. He was upstairs before any real noises began downstairs.

The door slid noiselessly under his hand and the light inside the room was still on, but Kyo's back was still turned away from the wall. He guessed what he'd told Tohru was true; Kyo really was asleep. He walked forward to be sure and found himself stepping on some of the photos Kyo had let scatter to the ground. Not sure why he'd done that, Yuki began picking up the overturned photos and putting them into a stack. He wasn't paying attention to the images on them as he worked.

It took a minute or two to gather up the photos, but he didn't even notice the envelope now conveniently covered by some bedding. He paused to straighten the stack, turning them over to see the first photo in the pile, and stopped, almost dropping the bundle in his surprise. "This is…. Isn't this…? It can't be." He quickly flipped through the photos, growing more surprised as he went. He looked at Kyo. How had the cat gotten a hold of these? Where had they come from? Did Tohru know about them?

He sat back on his heels, totally overwhelmed. It just didn't seem possible. But there had to be a reason for it. There had to be.

Yuki looked up at a strange sound coming from outside. He went to the window, trying to look out but the evening shadows had already begun to fall and the moon wasn't out yet. He almost left the room with the photos in his hands but remembered, just in time, that he was holding them. He carefully placed them on the bookshelf, picture side down, then paused, hearing that noise again, like something scraping against something else. After a minute, it stopped.

Voices started coming up the stairs. "I don't' know why you're so worried about it. The radio said the weather should be clearing up now, without any more signs of storms," Arisa's voice floated up the stairs.

"That's not the kind of storm I was talking about," Hana's voice came in reply. In another moment, the two girls were walking into view, carrying the blankets from the living room. Yuki just stared at them, one hand on Kyo's door.

"What," Arisa asked in a slightly grumpy voice. "You don't have to stare. We just figured that with Rin gone, we'd be better to move back into Tohru's room until all this is cleared out."

Yuki couldn't say anything as they swept past him and into Tohru's room. That's not the kind of storm I was talking about. He wondered what she meant.


	14. Chapter 14

Fruit's Basket Chapter 14 : Contents of the bomb

Rin shivered. She almost wished she hadn't decided to leave at such a strange hour, but she knew that if she hadn't, Haru would have caused a scene, and that was the last thing she needed. But she had been surprised to see Kyo up, and to find that he seemed to understand her more than she'd thought. It was kind of weird.

She wrapped her coat more tightly around herself. Only then did she realize that there was something missing.

"The package!" She looked frantically in her pockets but couldn't find the strange bundle she'd picked up on her way to Shigure's several days ago. "I must have dropped it," she reasoned with a heavy sigh. It was only one more thing that she'd lost, and why it should be so precious to her already was beyond her. She'd only found it in the street and had no idea what was in it or if it had any value.

It was too late to turn back now anyway. She'd reached the end of the long tree-lined lane that led to Shigure's house, and was coming upon the first real signs of the city not too far past that. In a few hours, the sun would rise and she wanted to be well away from unfriendly faces before that happened.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Momiji felt slightly prickly in the coat Hatori had requested he wear, but it had allowed him to go with his older cousin as they searched for Rin. They'd stopped at Kazuma's, but he claimed not to have seen her since before she'd gone to the hospital, so there was no help there.

Hari drove slowly, even though the roads he currently traveled on were mostly plowed. They were systematically sweeping the city, starting out as close to the Sohma Estate as possible, hoping to catch some glimpse of her as they drove, but so far they'd had no luck.

"I don't think this is working," Momiji spoke up from the passenger seat. "I mean, if I were Rin, I probably would go somewhere where I'd think no one would find me."  
Hari continued to stare out the front window, concentrating on not fishtailing the car as he drove. His expression gave nothing away but he silently agreed with Momiji. However, this current course of action at least took out several possibilities and gave them some kind of shelter should they get stuck.

"I wonder," Momiji said absently as he stared out the side window, "if she would be at Kagura's? That's where she has lived before. You never know."

Hari glanced his way, wondering what was going on in his younger cousin's head. But it was definitely worth a look so he turned the car around, heading in the appropriate direction.

xXxXxXxXxxxxxXxXx

Tohru stretched, resisting the urge to yawn aloud. Arisa and Hana were still asleep, or so she thought, and she definitely did not want to disturb them. Instead, she decided to head downstairs and see if there was anything she could tidy up before everyone got up and kept her from overdoing things. It was sweet of them, really, but she couldn't help but feel a bit…babied. And to someone so used to being independent and selfless, it was a harsh sentence to fill.

On her way down the hall, she paused, glancing at Kyo's closed door. He hadn't come down once last night. She wondered if he'd come down with something, or if his ankle just hurt too much to walk on it. She hesitated at the door. Would he consider it a breach of his privacy if she went in just to check?

She stood in indecision, staring at the door, hands clasped, at least as well as she could clasp them with the bandages in the way. She reached one hand to slide the door open, but stopped, bringing both hands up to her chin, almost as if she were praying. Haru was still in there and surely he'd let her know if anything had happened to Kyo during the night.

Tohru let out a sigh and turned from the door, heading downstairs. She wanted to take stock of what food they had left. They were down to mostly beans and rice, but she could still be creative about it. She was definitely glad she'd bought the rice when it was on sale, though everyone would probably get tired of beans sooner than later.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yuki stared up at his ceiling. It was hard to keep the images of the photographs from his mind. He kept asking himself how Kyo had gotten a hold of them in the first place. It was almost like Kyo had some secret reason for keeping them, some ulterior motive, maybe.

Yuki laughed mirthlessly at himself. "You're imagining things," he told himself. "Kyo's not that smart. He wouldn't know what to do with that kind of secret."

But still, he couldn't help but wonder where the photos had come from, and why now they'd come out in the open, more or less. Kyo had almost acted like it was the first time he'd seen them so maybe they had come to him by total accident. But he felt he at least sort of understood why Kyo would feel so depressed by them. They would surely remind him of Tohru, knowing that Akito would never let anything happen between them. If Akito could lock Yuki up in a dark room for half of his life, he'd surely have o qualms over locking up Kyo in the most miserable state possible for the rest of his. It was, after all, his fate.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana sat up once Tohru had left the bedroom. Her eyes were sad but thoughtful as she contemplated. From Kyo's room, she felt a cacophony of discordance so loud it almost hurt her. Kyo was in pain, but there really wasn't anything that Hana could do about it.

"What is it," she whispered, half to herself. "What is causing him such pain? Is it Tohru?"

Arisa moaned, turning in her sleep. She'd stay there for as long as anyone would let her, if she had her way.

Hana returned her gaze to the wall that separated their room from his. She'd felt a hint of this last night, before dinner, but she couldn't say anything. But if this kept up, Kyo would very likely make himself emotionally sick, and that would hurt Tohru. She'd have to do something about this, and quickly.

She stood, changing from her pajamas into regular clothes. She'd go into his room and talk with him if Hatsuharu wasn't there, and from judging from his aura, he wasn't going to be leaving the room any time soon. She looked towards the window, the light from outside seeping in. Something drew her there and she obeyed, lifting the curtains slightly to look out.

She could see a large board, leaning against some of the trees. She didn't remember if it had been there before or not, though Shigure had been making some repairs, Tohru had told her, so maybe it wasn't out of place at all. But then, the snow around it was very much disturbed, almost combed flat and definitely more shallow than that around it. She wondered who had moved it and why.

For a brief moment, she felt a flash of image hit her, a tall girl with long dark hair, and her expression tense with a scowl. In an instant, it was gone, nothing more than a wisp of spider silk blown in the breeze. The sound of pots banging together came from downstairs and she found herself quickly heading down to see what Tohru was doing now. She was the only other one up and about, unless they had some unexpected visitors.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Haru yawned as he stretched. It was still dark in the room, the windows covered. He could vaguely see the outline of Kyo tangled in his blankets. He'd heard him tossing and turning during the night. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not, with the strange behavior his cousin had shown. It definitely wasn't typical, at least not of his usual mood; though it did remind him of some of his own musings, when he chose to let himself feel sorry for himself, that was.

He walked over to the bed, his bare feet making no noise on the wood floor. It was easy to stare down at his orange-haired companion, very easy. And, at the moment, he was curled up in a ball, holding his knees to his chest, like an infant who wants nothing more than for the world to disappear, to be back, safe and sound, in an environment untroubled by worldly cares.

"Hmmm…." He mused. At least Kyo appeared to have good color, so far as he could tell in the dim light. He turned to go, kicking slightly under the overhanging covers, and heard something slid as his foot made contact with something. "Huh?"

He bent down to find what he'd kicked and saw the dim gleam of paper as a ray of light filtered through the curtains. "What's this?" He picked it up, realizing it was an envelope, unmarked, not really even sealed. He looked quickly towards Kyo, wondering if it was his, or if, possibly, it could have been one of the girls'. They had stayed in that room a night or two, after all.

He tapped the envelope against one hand while he contemplated. Well, it was unmarked. He supposed it wouldn't hurt anyone if he were to take a look inside. He lifted the flap and found a piece of paper inside, folded in thirds. He took it out and unfolded it, reading from the top.

It has taken me a great deal of time and effort, mostly that of others, to collect these photographs together. I hope that they will be able to give you back a piece of your past and maybe let you learn a little more about your mother, from before she died. I had to ask many favors to get them and there are some that I almost left out because of who else was in them, but I decided you would probably want to know everything you could so I left them in.  
It is my hope that by learning about your mother, you may also learn a little about yourself.  
Sincerely,  
Kazuma Sohma

Haru had to squint to read, but Shishu's handwriting wasn't hard to decipher. Once done reading, he looked up to Kyo. Was that the reason he was so depressed? Why he seemed to refuse to get out of bed? What were in those photos that would cause him such distress? And where were the photos? He wondered how old the letter was.


	15. Chapter 15

_The woman lay in the street, her body crumpled. Blood was spattered all over the place. She stared out into the distance, as if she couldn't properly focus on anything. People milled about, just out of reach, silent spectators to the drama before them._

_She held her hand, feeling it grow more still, more cold, with every passing second. The woman tried to speak but the words were hard to catch as she clung to that hand, tears running down her cheek that she tried to brush away with her free hand, but more came to replace them. She felt a sense of horror, of deep loathing, for herself._

_The woman continued to struggle with words Akito couldn't hear, until she seemed to gather some strength about her, enough to lift her head from the asphalt if only just a little, and said four words with more force than was possible. "I. Won't. Forgive. You."_

_Akito recoiled from those words, pulling away as the woman's eyes closed and her head lay still, the hand going limp in her own. She dropped the hand like it was something poisonous, and scooted back on her rump to get away. She tried to rub her hand on her clothes, to get rid of the taint of the dead woman and her words but they kept echoing in her mind. I. Won't. Forgive. You._

_Akito scrunched up, covering her ears with her hands, head bowed down to her chest, eyes squeezed shut, silently trying to deny the words. "No! Stop it! Stop it!" Her knees were drawn up towards her chin as she rocked back and forth._

_Faces stared at her from behind the closed lids. She saw Yuki, the look of horror on his face when she'd come to the high school and reminded him of what she was capable of doing to him. She saw Kyo's face, filled with anguish and pain as she whispered words of poison into his ear, telling him how everything would soon be over with, and he safely locked away from society to dwell alone forever. She saw Kisa, unconscious in the hallway after she'd knocked her down because Hiro loved her. There was Momiji, Hatori in agony when she'd injured his eye. Ritsu. Hiro. Kagura. Shigure. Rin. Ren._

_Her mother's image filled her mind, the smug smile, the malicious and accusing eyes. That oil slick hair, like a snake, wrapping its way slowly around Akito, smothering her. "I knew you wouldn't win. Now bow down before me and show me my true place as Head of this family! Bow down before me and beg for mercy!"_

_I. Won't. Forgive. You._

_Akito wanted to scream, to cry out, to do something, anything, but all she could do was whimper, tears streaming down her face. "Stop! Please stop! I don't want this! Stop it! Father! Please, make it stop."_

_Ren laughed at her, at the hair that continued to wrap around her daughter, squeezing tighter and tighter._

_I won't forgive you. I'll never forgive you._

_"BOW TO ME!" Ren reached out a quick hand and slapped her daughter's face, laughing maniacally. "BOW TO ME!"_

_Akito sobbed uncontrollably, her cheek stinging, eyes red and puffy. "Father, please. Help me."_

_"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU CALL ON HIM!"_

_The hair wrapped more tightly around, moving higher and higher, now reaching up to Akito's face. Akito screamed._

...

And screamed as she sat up in bed, her chest heaving like a bellows, not able to get enough air into her lungs. Sweat rolled off her skin, and yet she was no more aware of where she was then she had been a moment ago.

Loud noises came from outside her room. "Master Akito!" "Master Akito?" "What's going on?" The voices of several servants came from behind the door before it was thrown open. "Someone call Master Hatori."

The servants piled into the room. One turned the light on, flooding the room, chasing the darkness out. They saw Akito sitting there, her robes lose around her as she trembled, her face pale as she struggled inside of herself.

Outside of her room, more lights came on as servants and family members woke from the terrible screaming. Some came to their doors to see what the commotion was. Others quickly ducked back into their rooms and tried to ignore the sudden bustle.

Hatori bounded, barefoot, down the hallway, his bag in one hand, still in his pajamas, though he'd managed to throw his doctor's coat over them. Shigure wasn't too far behind him.

"Everyone, out of the way," Hatori commanded as he tried to get into the room. Servants readily moved to comply. "Go back to your rooms," he shouted back at those family members who were more inclined to stay and try to watch. Shigure followed him into the room, slipping in right before the door was closed on many curious faces, including the servants.

"Just breathe," Hatori was instructing when Shigure had a moment to try and figure out what was going on. "Shigure," Hari called sharply. "Come hold her."

Akito was still shuddering, her breathing ragged, eyes unseeing. Shigure came over as instructed, sitting on the opposite side of the bed, moving over in a sitting position to pull Akito into his arms while Hari pulled out his stethoscope.

"Akito," Hari called out a bit sharply. "Akito, can you hear me?" But Akito kept staring ahead without responding to him, tears streaming down her face. "She's in shock," he informed Shigure. "Wrap a blanket around her."

Shigure did his best, pulling at the top quilt and trying to wrap it around her shaking shoulders. Akito grabbed for his arm, digging her fingers into it. "No. No. No, please no," she whispered into the air. "Please, no."

The two men exchanged glances. Hari rummaged in his bag, pulling out a hypodermic and some medication. He measured out the correct amount and set it aside. "Just keep holding her. I have a feeling she had a rather nasty dream, but if we don't calm her, it will be bad for her heart." He cleaned a spot on her arm and injected the serum. "There. That should help."

It took a moment for the drug to take affect, but she visibly relaxed, her shudders subsiding, even if her sobbing didn't. She wouldn't let go of Shigure's arm, now leaning heavily against him, her eyes drooping. He gave Hatori a helpless look. "What do I do?"

"Nothing," Hari said. "Just stay with her for now. Let the medication take full effect. I'm going to see what the servants know." He slipped his instruments back into the bag and headed for the door. "If she says anything in her sleep, let me know. It might help us understand."

Shigure nodded his head as best he could with Akito's leaning against it. She seemed almost catatonic, but soon, her eyes closed, even if her grip on him didn't loosen.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kyo stared at the wall. He hadn't even turned to look at Tohru when she'd come in, bringing him some breakfast. He'd pretended to be asleep. What was the point in trying anymore? Even if he could beat Yuki, and Akito kept his promise, there was no way he and Tohru could get really close. She would never forgive him if she knew about her mother, about that fateful day and how Kyo had been there. Kyoko had told him she wouldn't forgive him. How could Tohru?

He could still see her face, crumpled up in pain, her eyes glassy, blood everywhere. Everything was red. Even his hands were red. How could he even contemplate loving someone if his hands were so stained? There wasn't a way he could.

"Kyo," Tohru called from just beyond the door. "Can I come in?" He didn't answer but she slid the door open anyway, coming in to retrieve the breakfast tray. He pretended to be asleep still.

"You didn't touch breakfast," she said in surprise and moved forward to feel his forehead with her unbandaged hand. "You don't seem to have a fever," she continued, though she did notice he flinched slightly at her touch. "But maybe we should call Hatori, just to be safe."

Kyo groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes. "I'm fine," he said gruffly. "Ya don't need to go call Hatori."

Tohru blinked at him in surprise. "But, Kyo. You didn't eat your breakfast. Are you sure you're okay?"

He turned back to face the wall. "I'm fine. Just not hungry."

"You didn't have any dinner last night," Tohru noted.

"I'm fine," he almost snarled. "Just leave me alone."

Tears welled up in Tohru's eyes when she heard the tone in his voice. The sobs were hard to keep from her voice. "O…okay. I'm sorry." And she ran out of the room.

"Hey," Kyo called but he knew it was too late when he heard her door slam closed. He mentally kicked himself, allowing his shame to add to his mental misery. He was always hurting people. Why was he always hurting people?

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Rin blew on her hands to warm them. She'd thought about going to Kagura's, but then had almost instantly decided against it. And she didn't feel like she could go to Kazuma's either. He'd surely let the others know where she was and she didn't want that. She only wanted to be alone.

Her back pressed against the large board. It was probably stupid of her to hide so close to Shigure's house, but she couldn't help it. She'd walked all the way into town, only to double back, walking in what had to be Haru's prints. It was somehow ironic to her. But at least it would make it harder to track her.

She didn't care about food at the moment, though she'd probably wonder about it soon enough. Her own disappointment at failure was more than enough to keep her company, and, if she had to, she could slip back into the house and snitch something, though she didn't feel entirely right about that either. At least the sun was shining and she didn't have to worry about more snow. By the time the plows made it out their way, she'd be more than ready to move on to some other place for a while. Until then, she almost felt adventurous hiding out like this.


	16. Chapter 16

Snow in a Fruit's Basket Chapter 16 : And then it happened! (the break in)

"It's quiet," Hana noted as she played cards with the others. Haru looked up at the sound of her voice, nodded, then returned to his cards.  
"It's almost nice," Yuki agreed. "After all, that stupid cat isn't around."

Tohru cringed slightly at Yuki's words, something Hana's eyes did not miss. Arisa also saw her flinch slightly but thought it for another reason. "Is your hand bothering you?" She put a comforting arm around Tohru's shoulders.

Tohru looked up with large eyes, hesitating. "Uh, a little," she finally answered, ashamed to admit that her mind wasn't downstairs on their game, but upstairs somewhere, where Kyo continued to sulk for some reason she didn't know.

Haru glanced towards the stairs. The words from the letter he'd found ran through his mind as he tried to figure out what photos it meant and where they might be, and why.

Yuki turned back to his cards, a look of intense concentration on his face as he looked over what he had. Hana kept her eyes averted, not wanting to mention anything. There were so many different waves splashing up against her mind at the moment, that it was almost painful how intense some of them were. There certainly was a storm's worth of energy coming from everyone. It was almost hard to hear the additional "voice" coming from somewhere faint, a now familiar voice that had recently left them.

"Do you always call him that," Hana spoke up.

Yuki gave her a questioning look. "Call him what?"

"The stupid cat," Hana answered quietly. "Do you always call him that?"

Yuki puzzled over that, wondering why she wanted to know. "I suppose… I do," he answered slowly. "I guess it's from our childhood. We were always like a cat and a mouse."

"You mean like Tom and Jerry," Arisa spoke up. "The way you two get along is definitely like Tom and Jerry."

Yuki laughed hesitantly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Hana looked thoughtfully between the two, another puzzle piece clicking into place, one that had barely hovered above where it should be.

Akito had not moved from her position in several hours, her eyes still closed. And even though she'd finally relinquished her hold on Shigure's arm, he did not leave her side, even though her fingers had dug in enough to leave several livid bruises. He wanted to pull her up into his lap and cuddle her like the precious thing she was, to erase whatever fears had woken her in the night, screaming.

Hatori hadn't gotten much from the servants, just that their master had been left sleeping peacefully, only to end up waking in a fit of almost hysterical screaming. They had heard nothing to suggest an intruder, nothing to suggest anything and so he'd come to the conclusion that she had dreamed something truly awful.

Hari contemplated the pair from the doorway. He hadn't entered the room yet and couldn't help but feel a little like he was intruding, but it wasn't the best idea to leave Akito unexamined. Anything could have happened while he'd been questioning the servants and contemplating in the silence of his own home. The sun had been up for some time and he wondered if she'd perhaps said something in her sleep that would give them a clue as to why.

"I know you're there, Hari," Shigure said, looking up. "You might as well come in. She's been as quiet as a kitten."

Hari closed the door silently behind him and walked over, taking out his stethoscope and a thermometer. "Hold this under her tongue," he instructed, handing Shigure the smaller of the two instruments while he put the stethoscope around his neck, the appropriate parts in his ears, and listened to her heart and lungs. His eyes didn't miss the deep purple marks on Shigure's arm.

"You might want to use something on those," he told his cousin. "They look like they might be painful."

Shigure laughed forcedly. "It's nothing. I'd gladly take more for my dear Aki." He turned his attention to the girl beside him, his eyes lovingly searching her face. "Though I can't help but wonder why," he added more quietly.

Hari grunted as he pulled off the stethoscope and put it back in his bag. "Her lungs are clear and her heart sounds good," he reported, then reached for the thermometer and looked at it. "She has a slight fever," he noted, "but that could be a result from stress." He put the instrument back in its case. "I'm sure I don't really need to request this, but it would probably be best if you continued to stay nearby to keep an eye on her and call me if anything changes. I'm not entirely sure how long she'll sleep. The medication has surely run its course by now and all we can really do is wait and see what happens. If she feels like talking when she wakes, let her, but don't force her." He raised a stern eyebrow at Shigure.  
"Yes master," Shigure said smartly, giving a mock salute and bursting into a huge grin. "I won't leave her side, even if it means I'll die in the effort."

"You don't have to be so melodramatic," Hari commented as he picked up his bag and headed to the door. "Just don't do anything you'll regret." And he closed the door behind him.

,...

Rin had been sitting out in the snow for several hours, definitely long enough for her body to start shivering and for her tummy to start grumbling at her. She had half convinced herself that this was all stupid but still didn't quite believe that yet.

She'd been watching them through the windows, watching them eat breakfast, watching them play games. She wasn't entirely sure what they were doing at the moment, but she hoped it was something that kept them out of the way while she tried to sneak in. She figured she could take a leaf from Kyo's book and try for a place high up. If she was lucky, the door to Kyo's room, from the outside, would be open. She had no idea where he was at the moment, but she decided it was worth the risk to try.

Sneaking stealthily, she tried to stay in the tracks already in the snow, but ended up making some of her own as she headed to the back porch of the house. She didn't see anyone in the windows on that side so she assumed she was safe. She had a moment's worth of anxiety on how to climb up to the second floor, but, eventually, she managed, though she made a great deal more noise than she'd anticipated.

...

Everyone was downstairs. Kyo had made certain of that before he'd emerged from his room. Perhaps it was silly of him, but he didn't want any of them to know he was out and about. Let them think what they wanted about his behavior, but he wasn't about to account to them, especially as he was sneaking out of the bathroom to get back into his room.

A strange noise came from outside, almost like a thump. He held still for a moment, straining his ears to hear anything out of the ordinary, but everything was quiet. He decided it must have been some snow sliding down from the roof and hitting the deck. His stomach growled at him, reminding him that he hadn't eaten for about twenty-four hours, but he stubbornly refused to listen to it as he closed his door behind him.  
Something felt off. He couldn't put his finger on what, but something felt really off. He looked around quickly, but couldn't see anything out of place. He'd left the photos on the bookshelf, after discovering them there earlier. He didn't want to be reminded of things by looking at them. He went and sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the ground.

xXxXxX

Rin thought she'd for sure be discovered by the loud thump she'd made coming over the railing. She hadn't anticipated that there would be some ice hiding under the snow. She tried to silently curse, instead of breaking out in loud cussing. Her backside was now probably bruised, but she maintained a stubbornness in being silent, despite her pain and embarrassment. Hopefully they'd think it was only some snow falling from the roof or something, though she wasn't sure how loud the sound had actually been. Everything sounded so much louder in the silence.

After giving it a couple of minutes, for good measure, she decided she was safe, and picked herself up from the wet, melting snow, carefully placing her feet now as she made her way to the outside door that led to Kyo's room. A simple look told her what she needed to know. It wasn't locked.

xXxXxXx

Kyo lifted his head, turning slightly to stare at the curtain partially concealing the door to the deck. Was it just him or was there something out there? The slight sound of something being dragged came to his ears, along with a wisp of cold air. His back stiffened, his muscles tensed, getting ready to spring.

The door moved, slowly, inch by inch. Kyo was glad he hadn't put on any shoes. They would surely make a loud noise on the wood floor. His searching eyes followed the progress of the sliding door, a dark shadow waiting to enter. He brought his feet up onto the bed, crouching, balanced on the balls of his feet, waiting.

The door stopped moving and a pale hand parted the space between the curtain and the wall. Kyo waited, waited…. His muscles were going taught with how long it took for this intruder to move. Then, with an almost earsplitting yowl, he pounced!

xXxXxXxXxXx

Loud thumps coming from upstairs interrupted their game. Arisa turned her head sharply. Haru and Yuki jumped to their feet. Hana remained seated while Tohru shook slightly. "What was that," she asked. "Do you think….?"

"I don't know," Haru answered before she could finish her question. "But we'd better go look."

Everyone but Hana went towards the stairs.

Kyo's hair was standing on end, his face filled with a fierce scowl. The last few seconds were all a blur. He'd pounced on someone tall and dark and they'd rolled to the center of the room, stopping with him on top, holding pale wrists.

"Kyo," a voice had come from his hostage, outraged but quiet. "Let go."

He'd let go the moment he realized who it was, scrambling away. "What the…. What do you think you're doing?"

Loud footsteps pounded up the stairs and Rin dove for the bed, sliding underneath it, followed by a loud hiss. "Don't say a word," she threatened. "Not a word." Then the quilt was pulled down to hide her from view.

The door opened and Yuki, Haru, and Tohru spilled into the room. Kyo was left in the middle of the floor in shock, his face fixed in a scowl, his hair on end.

"Kyo, are you all right," Tohru was asking.

"What's going on," Yuki asked almost at the same time. Kyo hunched over, continuing to scowl as Tohru came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, which he tried to shrug off.

"I tripped," he said grouchily, glaring at the edge of his bed. "Okay? I tripped and rolled over a few times. It happens. You don't all got to stare at me or whatever."

"Did you hurt yourself," Tohru asked again, worry evident in her voice.

"No."

"Not that something like that could hurt him," Yuki put in with a frown. "He falls down enough he ought to be used to it by now."  
Kyo growled at him but didn't make a move. His stomach rumbled over his growl.

"Oh, you're hungry," Tohru noted and quickly got up, running downstairs. Kyo didn't have a second to protest.

Arisa stuck her face around the doorframe. "So, it is you," she commented dryly. "Should have known. You're always the one causing chaos around her."  
Kyo scowled especially for her. "What do you know, stupid Yankee."  
Arisa didn't get offended. Instead, she just laughed. "Proves my point! Well, so long as nothing broken, we should probably get back to our game. Come on, Prince, let's go."  
Yuki looked up questioningly, looking like he was going to protest, but Arisa's folded arms didn't seem to allow for protest.  
"Let's leave this clown with his bruises," Arisa said as she turned back towards the stairs. "Come on."

Haru rolled his eyes at Arisa's attitude, gave Kyo a quick glance, and followed Yuki out. They passed Tohru on her way up with a small try containing lunch. She set it next to Kyo.

"Um, it looks like everyone is still going to play and it's my turn, so I hope you don't mind if I don't stay," she apologized.  
"Nah," Kyo grumbled, trying to sound tough. "Probably won't eat it anyway."

Tohru wasn't sure what to make of that so she simply left the room, sliding the door halfway closed behind her. "I'll be back for the tray," she promised as she left.

There was silence for about a minute as Kyo strained his ears for sounds of activity from downstairs. "Okay," he finally said. "It's safe." He pushed himself a bit away from the bed to give Rin room to slide out.

Rin pushed out from under the bed, a few hints of dust on her otherwise clean but damp clothes. She didn't know if she should thank him for his silence or not so she remained quiet on the matter. Her eyes went to the tray by Kyo, her stomach rumbling.

"Hungry," Kyo asked her. She didn't even need to nod for him to know the answer. He pushed the tray her way. "Go ahead. I'm not hungry."  
She gave him a funny look but wasn't about to refuse, not when her stomach was rumbling so rudely. She grabbed a chunk of bread and turned away from him. He turned his back to her, figuring she probably didn't want an audience.

"So, what gives," he asked quietly. "You suddenly up and leave and now you're back?" She didn't answer him. "Okay," the tried again. "So, where did you go?"

"None of your business," she finally answered. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that one of the small bowls on the tray had disappeared.  
"You know, if you really wanted, Tohru would probably cook you something special downstairs," Kyo commented. "Unless you don't want them to know you're back." He got silence as his answer once again. "You're not still hiding from Haru are you?"

"What I do is none of your business," Rin answered him. "You're one to talk yourself, you know. I've been watching. You've basically been hiding up here, haven't you? I just chose to hide somewhere else."

Kyo didn't know how to respond to that. He sulked, not lifting his eyes for anything. "It's complicated, okay?"

"Life's complicated," came the retort. "You get over it."

There was a clatter of dishes as Rin replaced the one she'd taken. "Next time, have her bring you some jelly," she instructed.

"Next what?" Kyo turned around abruptly. "You don't mean you're not… You can't be serious! Do you really think I'm going to sneak food for you! This is insane!"

Rin glared at him, hands on her hips. "If you tell them about me, I'll do things we'll both regret. And if you get me food, I won't be stealing so you'd better get me food."

"Are you threatening me?" The hair on the back of his neck and on his head bristled.

"Just call it blackmail. If you don't say a word about me, I won't tell anyone about that bundle you took from my coat." She turned away and slipped out the deck door. Kyo sat there, speechless. How had she gotten it then, if she'd really had it? Was she even talking about the same package? And how did she know he had it now?


	17. Chapter 17

Akito groaned as she rolled over. She felt like she'd been through some kind of mill, all stiff and slightly sore. Light shown through her closed lids and she wondered what time it was. The windows were usually covered, until she ordered them uncovered.

She sat up and looked around, blinking at the light from the overhead fixture. "Who turned on the light," she complained. "Turn it off. Now." Someone shuffled from the far side of her bed, a dark head coming into view. "What are you doing in here? Leave!"

Shigure turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Hardly complimentary, Akito," he chided gently. "After all, you have been asleep for most of the day. And I have been instructed to keep an eye on you." He held a book in one hand, his thumb keeping his place between the pages.  
Akito looked shocked. "What?" She reached for her clock, staring in disbelief at the numbers. "No." She looked up at Shigure again, a hint of anger in her eyes. "Why didn't you have someone wake me? There are half a million things I'm supposed to do today." Her eyebrows arched.  
Shigure stood up smoothly. "Would you believe me if I said we tried?"

Akito narrowed her eyes. "We who?"

Shigure's face softened to concern. "Hatori and I. We came running when we heard you screaming late last night."

Akito pulled her blankets up around her quickly. "Who was screaming?" Her expression dared him to defy her tone as she denied being the screamer.

He walked over closer to her end of the bed. "Well, that would have been you, Akito, dearest."

"Don't call me that."

Shigure sat on the edge of the bed. "We were all worried, you know. You were suddenly screaming out of the middle of nowhere. Everyone came running. They couldn't figure out if someone had broken into your room or what else might have happened. Hatori believes it was because of something you dreamed."

Akito shook her head slightly. She didn't remember screaming. She didn't remember waking at all, until that moment, at any rate. She looked at Shigure with shrewd eyes. He looked like he hadn't exactly slept in a while, and when he sat down, she thought she saw something on his arm when he moved in a way to make the sleeves of his robe move up ever so slightly.

"You don't remember, do you," Shigure said in a matter-of-fact tone. He sighed. "I suppose it's just as well."

Akito found herself growing a bit bored and frustrated with him. "Get out," she commanded him.

"But Hatori told me to stay here and keep an eye on you," Shigure protested, putting his hands up. His sleeves slid up his arms again and she caught the edge of a dark discoloration on his forearm as the sleeves moved.

"I don't care if the man on the moon told you to, I want you to leave," she countered. "I'm the head of this house and you will do what I say. Now go."

Shigure chuckled faintly. "Still the same," he said quietly. "Oh well," he added, louder. "Hatori will want to know you're awake anyway. I won't be far." He went for the door, closing it behind him as he left.

Akito stared at the closed door for a moment, then slid from the bed and walked a little unsteadily towards her private bathroom, locking the door behind her as she turned on the hot water.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana stared out the window. Tohru was in taking a bath and Arisa was taking a nap. Yuki, of course, was off somewhere with Haru, and Kyo still hadn't left his room. And now she knew that Rin had returned. She'd felt her distinct electrical waves in the area and had a good idea where the Sohma girl was hiding, but she figured she had her reasons for not coming out so she said nothing about it.

She almost had the answer, completely and totally authenticated and proven. There was just one real test to prove that she was right, but she had no idea how Kyo would take that. And she didn't know that she should try with so many other people around who could easily take things out of hand. There was a reason Kyo and Yuki, and the others for that matter, kept this secret.

The snow was slowly melting and soon time would run out. Either the snow would melt enough that people could come in and out, or the plows would actually show up, bringing back Shigure and others who would make proving her theory next to impossible without getting caught. She had a feeling that Kyo would be able to handle this better than anyone, especially considering how well she'd become acquainted with his adopted father lately, but she knew that if she asked Kazuma, he would probably feel duty bound not to say anything.

She would have to move soon and move quickly, hoping that she could arrange things enough to keep the others from finding out what she planned. They must never find out.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kyo stared moodily at the bookshelf, more specifically at the small stack of photos turned backside up so that the prints couldn't be seen. He had no idea who'd picked them up. He certainly couldn't remember doing it, and it bothered him that someone else had seen what he was ashamed to see, not because of what was in the pictures, but because of what they reminded him of.

Did Rin know what had been in that package? He doubted it. If it was the same one she'd had, she'd probably just found it out in the snow and claimed it for her own, not knowing what it was or what possible meaning it had. But that she would use that against him was blatantly unfair. He didn't know if he could let Tohru see those photos, though he knew that they were hers beyond any doubt and she had the most right to them if anyone did. He once again wondered how Kazuma had found them.

Without stopping to think, he snitched the stack from the shelf and started thumbing through them, emotional pain stabbing through him with every photo, guilt strong and poisonous invading his mind. He wasn't sure why he was doing that to himself, but the sight of Tohru's mother, immortalized on paper had a strange pull that he could no more deny than he could deny the horrible guilt he felt over having known her and failed her.

I won't…. forgive you. The phrase echoed in his mind, Kyoko's dying words as he sat by her, helpless as the blood burned the memory in red. He didn't realize, until he put his hand to his face, that he was crying. He'd failed three people in his life. He'd failed his mother. He'd failed Kyoko, and now he'd failed Tohru. There was no way she could ever forgive him for that, no matter how he looked at it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kisa sat alone, thoughtful. They'd told her that soon the plows would clear out the streets and she could go see Tohru again. She missed her sissy so much. Already, the plows had come and cleared the streets surrounding Sohma House, and though she could come and go into town, supervised, it wasn't the same. Apparently the road to Shigure's house wasn't a priority, and when she'd asked Hatori to drive her there, Momiji had interrupted with his observations from when he and Hatori had gone looking for Rin.

The roadway was completely blocked. It would take a while for them to dig out enough to even find the beginnings of the lane, and short of climbing over the huge pile of snow and risking sinking into it, there wasn't a way to get around it yet.

Hatori had tried to comfort her with the news that he'd talked to Haru over the phone, telling her that everyone was all right out there. Shigure hadn't been much help either, though he claimed to be anxious to get back to his computer and his manuscript. His editor had called a few times.  
"Don't be sad," Momiji said as he came up to her. "The snow won't last forever. Besides, I'm sure they're fine." He sat down next to his younger cousin. "We could go make some more snowmen, if you want. Or," he paused at her expression, "we could see about cocoa in the kitchen. I hear they've been baking cookies."

Kisa couldn't help but notice his attempts to cheer her up. She smiled slightly at him. "Okay, we can do that," she decided and took his hand as they walked to the kitchen.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shigure stared at the wall in Hari's house. No one was there to watch him, not even a servant. Hari was at the Main House, keeping an eye on Akito. He'd given his cousin the basic rundown of his conversation with her, how she denied remembering the whole screaming incident. Hari had remained stern in face, made some noise, picked up his back, and left without too many words, other than that Shigure should stay there for a while and stay out of trouble.

So he stared absently at the wall, his expression a serious one, lips slightly puckered in thought, one hand cupping his chin. I'm the head of this house and you will do what I say. That much, at least, hadn't changed. But why, he wondered, why would she wake in the middle of the night, screaming so? There had to be something, some trigger that brought this about. His dear Aki had been dreaming a lot lately, it would seem, but why something so horrible to cause such a physical reaction?

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a tiny voice told him he should worry about whether or not his house was still standing, if the others there were okay, but he brushed that voice aside. Akito was, and always would be, his first consideration, next to himself, of course. Still, it was hard not to wonder….

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Another night had come and Kyo still would not come down. Tohru was getting worried. She'd brought him dinner again, leaving it at his door, though she was puzzled by his only request for some jelly, which she was happy to grant. But it still confused her as she thought about it at the table.

Hana watched her friend, her own spirits troubled. She would have to do something soon to unravel the tangled threads she could feel in the air. They would suffocate her friend, and Kyo as well. That was something she could not allow.

"I was thinking," Haru said absently as he played with his rice, pushing it around with his chopsticks, "I was thinking that maybe I should sleep downstairs tonight. Kyo doesn't seem in a very good for some odd reason, and I'd rather not lose it up there and destroy something. Shigure's still after me for the last time."

Yuki also picked at his rice, looking rather depressed, hardly listening. "Maybe," he said, his thoughts a million miles away. He seriously hoped the snow would clear soon, that the plows would reach them so he could go and see Machi. His thoughts had kept turning to her since he'd remembered about his promise to make footprints in the snow with her.

"Yes," Hana said quietly between mouthfuls of rice. "Perhaps that would be best." Inside, she was contemplating the opportunity this presented her. "It would be horrible if something should happen that would damage the structure of this humble home, allowing the frigid winter air to freeze us all to the bone."

Tohru looked a little nervous at Hana's words. "Oh, well, um, maybe Hana's right. I can get some blankets down for you, if you like." She looked at Haru's down-turned face.

"How's your hand," Haru said, sidetracking her. Part of the reason he wanted to be downstairs was so that he could ponder alone, wondering what Rin was up to, why she'd just run off, without interruption from Kyo, who could potentially be rather nasty in the state he was in. He'd heard him yell at Tohru earlier. The cat certainly wasn't being rational.

"We should probably take care of that," Arisa commented. "How about after dinner? Yuki and Haru can wash the dishes." He glanced at the two boys, neither one paying a whole lot of attention.

"As for myself," Hana added, "I have a few things that must be taken care of, without delay."

Arisa and Tohru looked up at her, and the boys tried to not look like they were looking at her. Arisa looked into Hana's eyes for a moment, then shrugged. "All right then," she finally said. "Then we can play a game of Rich Man Poor Man before bed. How does that sound?"

Hana nodded in thanks, though she knew Arisa had no idea what she was planning on doing. "A fabulous idea. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some pondering to do." She excused herself from the table, taking her dishes to the kitchen before slipping upstairs.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kyo scowled, his body facing the doorway. This was getting annoying really fast. How long did Rin plan on living like this? It was insane! He could tell, just by looking at her, that she wasn't doing as well as she tried to pretend. She was paler than pale, but at least she was eating the jelly he'd requested, leaving some of the other food items untouched, which he would probably pick through later.

Rin set the small bowl down and turned back towards her cousin. She wouldn't offer him any thanks for this. It would somehow seem uncharacteristic of her. But she did relish in feeling at least slightly warmer than what she had previously felt. She could probably use a bath, she mused, but knew that wasn't going to happen, at least not while everyone was awake.

"You haven't told anyone about me, have you," she asked in a steely voice. "Because if you have…"

"I haven't told anyone anything," Kyo protested, turning around. "How could I, knowing you have some freaky six-sense that told you about a stupid package. How did you find out about that anyway?"

Rin raised her eyebrows. So he did have it. She hadn't known before, but had just used it as a weapon for his silence. "That's none of your business," she said with venom. "I want it back."

Kyo stood, doing his best to tower over her. "Well that ain't gonna happen. It belongs to Tohru." He put his hands on his hips.  
Rin stood, dwarfing him. "Is that so? I found it so it's mine."

"It came from Shishou," Kyo defended, his face getting hot. He didn't even realize that his ankle was throbbing as he stood and tried to stare her down. He hadn't thought about it for a while, not since he'd looked at the photographs. It would be stupid to give it any mind now. "He gave it to me to give to Tohru, only I lost it in the snow."

Rin's eyes glinted as she got into his face. "And how would you know it was the same package? What if it was something completely different?"  
Kyo felt his rage running up the scale and his body shook with it. It was suddenly very hard to remember that he needed to be quiet, to not let everyone downstairs know that Rin was there. His anger boiled over.  
"BECAUSE I OPENED IT!" he screamed.

Rin rocked back on her heels in surprise, her eyes large with shock. Kyo marched over to the bookshelves and grabbed for the pile of photos and threw them at her.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED TO SEE? IS THIS WHAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE IN THERE? LOOK!"

Rin couldn't move as the photos rained down around her, seemingly thousands of smiling faces flashing at her as the papers turned in the air before landing on the floor. One photo landed face up, showing a young girl, about Tohru's age, her expression a pained one, with no eyebrows on her face. And her pain seemed to be Rin's pain. She sank down to the ground, staring at the photo. "Who is this? Who is she?"

Kyo sank down a few feet away from her, avoiding some photos in front of him, unable to look at the faces in them. "That's Tohru's mom," he said, suddenly very quiet.

Rin looked up at him, eyes still full of shock. "But…" and she couldn't finish as she looked back down. She couldn't look at him, the sudden anguish on his face.

Outside the room, a floorboard creaked as someone came up the stairs. Kyo hissed. "Quick," he said forcefully. "Hide somewhere. Someone's coming."

It took Rin a second to make her brain work again, then she realized what he'd said and quickly slid under the bed, scattering photos as she went. Once under the protective screen of the covers, she closed her eyes, willing the image of that face to flee from her mind, but it wouldn't.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana tried to walk quietly as she came up the stairs. Kyo's voice could be heard loudly as she took the first few steps, but the others didn't' seem to notice it in the kitchen. Or, if they did, they somehow didn't feel a need to investigate. She nodded to herself, satisfied.

Two distinct waves crashed around her as she rounded the corner of the stairs, but she wasn't surprised. It somehow seemed fitting that those two should somehow get along, though she wasn't exactly sure that was the right word. There was a definite sense of authority in Rin's waves, a sense of dominance and a need to prove herself.

Silence greeted her as she walked up to Kyo's door, listening. Of course they would have heard her coming. Rin, in an attempt to stay hidden, was probably hiding in a closet or under the bed, though Hana knew she was there. Kyo, she sensed, was doing his best to not just burst out in some kind of maniacal screaming. He was doing rather well at it too.

Hana took in a deep breath, drawing in the waves around her, then knocked on the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Snow In a Fruit's Basket Chapter 18 : The Storm

Akito stood, staring out into the darkness from her window. She felt somewhat strangled. From the corner of her eye, she could see dark, oil slick snakes hovering, waiting for a moment of weakness. She could not let them catch her off guard. They would surely kill her this time, wrenching the last bubble of air from her lungs, leaving her there to die. Her mother would win by default. She would stand over her dead daughter and gloat, her eyes maniacal in her success.

NO.

Akito tried to banish the thought, but who was the woman she also kept seeing out of the corner of her eyes, lying so lifeless in the street? What had Akito done that this woman could not forgive her for?

Shigure and Hatori had pressed her about remembering her dreams, to the point that she'd developed a headache, though they really hadn't pressed that hard. And she'd denied, time and time again, having any knowledge of what she'd dreamed, of remembering herself waking up, screaming; though it was true that she had no memory of giving Shigure those deep bruises on his arm. That, she did not remember.

And somehow, she felt that she couldn't let them share in this burden, that it was meant for her alone, a kind of test to see if she was worthy of the person she was. So many things tumbled around inside of her that she wasn't sure if she felt like herself or if she even knew who she was. You were born to be loved. And yet, her father had left her too soon.

She glanced at the box she'd kept hidden in her room; the box a servant had given her at the time of her father's death. Her father's spirit was in there, the servant had told her. She'd been tempted to open it many times but could never bring herself to do it. What if, by opening it, she lost her father's soul and couldn't get it back? Would she be as alone as she felt now, with her father completely gone from her? Everyone would leave, a voice whispered.

She felt like throwing something, her lips pulling back in an almost feral snarl. "I was born to be loved," she almost yelled. "They won't leave me."  
In her mind, she heard her mother laugh. "But it is already breaking. Can't you feel it?" She knelt down, covering her ears with her hands to try and drown out her mother's laughter. "You will end up alone, with nothing for your troubles. I will win and you will become nothing."  
Akito scrunched down, hunching over like she had so many times as a child, cringing away from the loneliness around her soap bubble life. There had to be a life preserver out there somewhere. She just had to find it and grab on.

Akito? Ah! Nice to meet you. I'm Tohru Honda…

Akito looked up almost involuntarily from her position on the floor. Where had that come from? Why was she…?

I'm very pleased to meet you.

She could almost see Tohru Honda bowing in front of her all over again, the first time they'd officially met. The words she'd said were a little hazy, but the image of her warm, blue eyes, so bright and full of life were something she could not forget. Nor could she forget the words she'd whispered to Shigure that day when he'd told her about Miss Honda.

I believe I will trust Tohru Honda, for Yuki, and for myself. This may prove to be a great opportunity.

She grabbed a hold of that memory, of sitting on the porch with Shigure as she decided Tohru's fate as their pawn. And she had been nothing but a pawn until just recently, when Akito had seen her as something more.

She closed her eyes and saw Tohru lying in a hospital bed in Hatori's back room, various monitoring equipment around her. She'd come to that room for a reason beyond her own potential thought, to help her do something that only Tohru could do, something that saved Kyo from a pain no one should have to bear, a pain Akito was all too willing to give back to him when he graduated from high school. And yet, Tohru's pain had been her pain for that one night, and she'd found that she could somewhat understand this strange girl who cared less for herself than she did for even the lowliest of strangers around her. Why couldn't Akito be like that?

Those seeds planted many months ago by her experience shook at a sudden source of sunlight, their wilted leaves turning upwards to catch each glistening ray. They had been neglected for so long that they'd begun to wonder if they were destined to just wilt and die.

Akito focused on the image of Tohru Honda, filling her thoughts with her infectious smile. She suddenly gasped as the vision of the dying woman swam in front of her life preserver. They looked so alike, so alike. It couldn't be possible. Was she seeing the future, or was it the past? She wasn't sure.

She knew Tohru was an orphan, but she'd never given that girl's parents a second thought, but now, seeing the similarities between that dying woman from her dreams, and her memory of Tohru in front of her unblinking eyes, it was very hard, suddenly, to not wonder how it had happened and why, despite Tohru basically being alone in the world, she had somehow managed to move on. There had to be an inner strength there that Akito desperately wanted to draw upon. No, needed to draw on if she were to survive this, with everything falling apart around her. Time, in so many ways, felt like it was running out.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kyo was in a panic. The situation had changed so fast. One moment he was trading insults with Rin, the next, he was hiding her. There wasn't any time to think anything beyond making sure Rin was hidden. There was no time to pick up the scattered photos; no time to pray that whoever was knocking would just go away. Kyo knew this, and yet, he wished there was time because there was no way he wanted to be caught in the situation he found himself in. There was no way he could even begin to explain, but maybe, just maybe, if he could keep whoever was at the door out, he might still save something of this mess from happening.

With a determined stride, mustering every ounce of his control to abandon pain, both physical and emotional, he went for the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hana wasn't about to let Kyo sneak out of this interview. She could feel his intensions rolling under and through the wood panel that separated them. It only took a moment for her to decide to act. She slid the door open and stepped forcefully into the room. A bright cloud of smoke seemed to suddenly appear, thick and orange as she ran into something, knocking her backwards into the wall, and whatever she'd hit, down to the ground. She heard a loud gasp of shock coming from below her.

It did not take long for the smoke to clear enough for her to see what had happened. The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place as she stared at the orange cat in front of her. The cat's fur was completely on end, his eyes wide, one paw slack behind, like it was somehow lame. Kyo's clothes were under those velvet paws, empty. And yet, despite having her theories confirmed, Hana found herself speechless as she stared at, not the cat, but the rectangular pieces of paper scattered around the room, the familiar face smiling back at her over and over again.

Kyo hissed at her, his tail higher than his stand-on-end fur. So high, in fact, that it almost made him look like he was trying to lift his back end completely off the ground. He wanted to do more than hiss, but something made him keep his vocalizations of frustration and anger to himself. Hana wasn't staring at him, after all, but at the floor around him.

"Kyo…. Kyo…. ko…."

At first, he thought she was saying his name, but he caught the almost quiet 'ko" at the end and suddenly realized what she was staring at.  
"How…?" Hana blinked slowly, closing her eyes and shaking her head in confusion. "Where did you get these?"

Kyo sat in surprise, his cat face almost on her feet as he registered that she wasn't even shocked about his transformation, barely hearing the question she asked him so quietly. He wasn't prepared to feel her hands around his stomach as she lifted him up fast enough to knock the air from his lung and shook him.

"Where. Did. You. Get. These? Tell me." She'd lifted him high enough to look directly into her deep eyes.

He flinched at the pain he saw there, cringing away. He was incredibly tempted to play dumb, but he knew she knew about their terrible secret, that somehow she'd guessed or something else had told her. Anything was possible with Saki Hanajima. He felt his middle being squeezed tightly and he found he was glad he hadn't had the chance to eat anything yet.

"Kazuma," he almost wheezed out, barely any air coming out. He gasped. "He gave them to me, for Tohru." His lungs felt empty, like he'd just run a marathon without enough air. His body sagged.

"Let him go," a strong, female voice broke into the strangled conversation. Hana looked up into Isuzu Sohma's angry black eyes. "Let him go. Now." It was not a voice to be disobeyed, and yet, Hana seemed immune to the authority in that voice.

"So," Hana finally managed to speak again as she let her grip on Kyo relax, setting him in her lap but not letting go. "I thought you were here. What do you know about this?"

Rin flung her hair. "I'm not saying," she said quickly. "This has nothing to do with you so you should just leave, before we call Hatori and have him deal with you."

Hana let Kyo go, and then slid the door closed so that neither could leave. "The one who erases memories," she said. "Hatori Sohma."

"How did you-" Kyo started, then stopped just as swiftly as his tongue had started. Hana didn't even seem stunned, which unnerved him.

Hana again turned her gaze on him. "He erased Arisa's memories several months ago. I felt his distinct waves around her when she found herself at my house during the time Tohru was in his care. She could not remember where she'd been before that, only that she had following Yuki to find her."

Kyo's cat mouth dropped open but he didn't know what to say. Apparently she knew everything now. And she was interested in his foster-father too. That only made matters worse. Thanks to him, he'd also blurted out where those photos had come from. Surely there was no backing out of this situation now. Not without involving Hatori, and maybe hurting Tohru.

Hana felt the panic rolling off of Kyo, the anger coming from Rin. "Don't worry," she assured both. "You can be sure that I won't tell anyone, not even Tohru, though I'm sure the burden of keeping your secret is a grievous one for her to bear alone."

Kyo sat in typical cat –fashion. "So, now what? You gonna black mail me like Rin was?" Rin rolled her eyes at that comment, but decided to sit down, on the edge of the bed. "You gonna use this against me or something?"

"No," Hana said firmly. "I already told you, I won't tell anyone. The secrets I swear to protect will go with me to the grave. No one will know that I hold them."

Rin grumbled. "Oh lovely, now that that's all cleared up, why are you still here? Why don't you just leave? We were busy."

Hana glanced up at her with her deep, purple eyes, intent and wide in concentrated energy. Rin had to cringe away from the intensity behind that gaze, balling her hands up into fists, her body shaking ever so slightly. "I cannot leave," Hana finally answered her. "I have not yet accomplished what I came to do."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Downstairs, Yuki helped dry the last dish as Tohru tried to shuffle the cards to play Rich Man Poor Man. It was a bit hard with her hand still bandaged, but it gave her something to do.

"Is it just me," Arisa said as she came out of the kitchen, "or has Hana been upstairs a long time? I wonder what she's doing."

Yuki glanced quickly towards the stairs, Tohru following his gaze. "I can't help but wonder as well," he conceded.

Haru leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Whatever it is, it's probably nothing good," he quipped.

"Haru," Tohru protested. "How could you say something like that? Hana has always been a very good friend. She wouldn't do anything-"  
He cut her off with a wave of his hand, settling down around the low table. "Not what I meant," he clarified. "I've noticed she has a weird way of doing things."

Arisa laughed. "That's Hana for you. Nothing she does can be explained. Why do you think so many people are afraid of her?" She turned to Tohru. "Here, let me deal," she offered, taking the cards. "So long as we don't hear any funny noises coming from upstairs, I'm sure nothing bad's going on."

Yuki didn't look quite convinced, but he settled himself down, under the reassurances of Arisa and Tohru. Haru seemed a bit distant as they started the game, though he couldn't be sure why. He was probably thinking about Rin, he reasoned. That would occupy anyone's thoughts.  
His reverie was suddenly interrupted by a loud popping sound. He sat up straight, eyes semi-panicked. Everyone but Kyo was in the room, at least out of those who transformed. Had something happened upstairs?

Haru looked up like someone had called his name. He met Yuki's eyes and gave a slight shake of the head, telling him to let it be. The girls didn't seem to have noticed anything unusual because they were still setting their cards in order. "Later," he said quietly to his cousin.

Yuki nodded slightly, though he felt slightly unsettled inside. What could possibly have happened upstairs? He was fairly sure he knew what that sound meant, but the main question was what had triggered it. Surely Hana would know better than to go and tease Kyo. That idea was totally unfathomable to him for some reason. Had Kyo just grown too weak or something?

"Later," Haru repeated a bit more firmly, looking at Yuki. The silver haired boy sighed and turned his attention back to the game.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"AH!" Kyo let out an exclamation of surprised indignation as another cloud burst of orange smoke filled the air and he frantically searched for something to put on. "Don't look! Don't you dare look!"

Hana kept her eyes focused on Rin's face, though her eyes held less intensity now that Rin had looked down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyo fumbling into a shirt and found herself wondering just how, exactly this transformation thing worked, though she had a pretty good guess that coming in contact with someone of the opposite gender had something to do with it. Kyo hadn't changed when the boys at school had hung around him, some teasing him in the usual physical manner of semi-adolescent boys.

"Okay," Kyo said in a grouchy voice, "you can look again. I'm decent." When Hana turned his way, he was folding his arms, a scowl on his face. "Just don't touch me again, okay? Now, what do you want?"

Hana pursed her lips, noting that Rin was once again staring at her. "I had some questions," she began. Kyo looked down but then quickly back up. He didn't want to see the images still scattered across the floor. Instead, he folded his legs, injured ankle on top so it wasn't crushed by the weight of the other.

"Well?" He tried to stare her down, but it didn't work very well. Her gaze was far more impressive and it totally unnerved him.

Hana let out a small sigh. She decided blunt would be best. "What do you intend towards Tohru?"

Kyo wasn't expecting that one and accidentally locked gazes with her and found himself unable to look away, but the shock on his face made it obvious what he was feeling. He trembled a bit from the effort of having to hold her eyes. It felt like some kind of battle, and as much as he wished it weren't happening, part of him wanted to win. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he finally managed to get out.

He wished he hadn't said it half a second later as Hana's gaze became more intense, almost menacingly. He gasped like a fish out of water. "Honest," he chocked out. "I have no idea where you're going with this."

Rin stamped a foot. "Oh, come on," she interrupted, breaking Hana's line of sight by surprise. "You know exactly what she means. Either that, or you're just as stupid as you look."

The eye contact broken, Kyo found himself lunging at Rin. "I'm not stupid!" His ankle prevented him from going too far though, as he twisted it around in his attempt to get at Rin. He let out a cry of pain. "What do you people want! A confession to murder?" The pain outside mingled with the pain he'd been bottling inside. "You want me to let the whole world know that I'm dying inside?"

Hana almost rocked back with the sudden intensity of his waves. If she'd been looking for a storm, she'd just found it. Lightning clashed in her head.

Kyo was up on his feet in a moment, the energy of his passion fueling his body. His fists raised to his face, like he wanted to hit something, but he kept his arms pulled in tight as the anguish washed over him. "Is that what you want?"

Rin found herself almost pressed down by his intensity, all flood gates suddenly open in front of her. She had no idea how to take this, but she'd never seen her cousin like this before and she wasn't sure if it frightened her or enraged her, but she knew she could not take her eyes off of him as everything bottled seemed to suddenly explode in front of her. She imagined something similar could easily happen with her if she wasn't careful.

"You want me to confess to the world how much I loathe myself because of her?" Kyo's words felt like a slap to both girls. "Do you honestly think I can live with myself knowing the pain I can cause her? Do you!"

Hana winced inside at his words, knowing they were completely true. He could hurt Tohru, hurt her deeply, but she also felt that things could be completely opposite, that he could heal those parts of her that she and Arisa couldn't even begin to touch. As much as she hated the idea of losing Tohru to someone in marriage, she hated the idea that Kyo couldn't or wouldn't step up even more.

"Why?"

The question was spoken quietly, though both girls weren't sure who'd said it, or if they hadn't both said it at the same time, but neither was prepared for what Kyo did next.

He rolled up onto the balls of his feet. Both girls heard something snapping as he did so. "BECAUSE I LOVE HER, DAMMIT!" He was suddenly making the most awful noise either had heard, sobbing almost uncontrollably as he fell to the floor. There was a moment of almost silence as he buried his face in his hands. "I hate it," he said more quietly. "I hate it because I can't help it. Because of what I am. Because of what it means for both of us."

Rin stood up and stared down at him, dark loathing in her eyes. "Stop it," she commanded. "What do you think you're sobbing about, stupid cat? Can't you see what's in front of your eyes? Do you have any idea what you have? You have everything!"

Hana turned her face to look at the older girl. Her expression was calm but focused as she listened both with her ears and her mind.  
Rin didn't seem to notice. "You have everything you wanted right now, and what are you doing? You're wasting it! You have the here and now, but if I were to tell Haru how I feel about him now, who do you think it would hurt? Do you have any idea what kind of pain that is? Cherish what you have now! And stop being the idiot you are. Didn't you tell me that running away won't solve anything? Well, that's what you're doing! Running! And it's stupid!"

Kyo was silent as he clenched and unclenched his fists, the anger drained from him, leaving him only with the pain.

"But aren't you running as well," Hana commented quietly. "Isn't that why you left?"

Rin flung her hair to one side. "Well, I'm done with it," she declared. "I'm done running. At least for now," she added under her breath.  
"Good," Hana added, "because they're all coming upstairs and I don't think Kyo will move to let you under the bed."

Rin looked up to the door. Kyo scrubbed at his face with his hands to dash the tears away, wiping his nose on his sleeve to try and get rid of the evidence. He sat up, wincing as he did.

The door began to slide open.


	19. Chapter 19

Snow In a Fruit's Basket Chapter 19 - the end

Hatori looked up almost distractedly from the book he was reading. He hadn't expected anyone to visit at this time of night and found himself very surprised when Momiji popped his head into the room.

"Hey, Hatori," Momiji piped up as he peered around the door jam.

"Good evening, Momiji," Hari replied evenly. "What are you doing?"

The blonde-haired boy smiled hugely. "I know where Isuzu is," he announced proudly and Haru sat up in surprise, his back going straight. "Or, rather, I know where she probably is."

Hari gave him a meaningful look. "Momiji, which is it?"

The boy continued to smile as he entered the room. "I decided to do some exploring," he stuck his tongue out at the disapproving look he got. "The roads are mostly clear in town," he defended. "So I went out walking and realized something. She never really left Shigure's place. I counted all the footprints going in, but there weren't really any leaving. Well, there was one set, but it turned right back around."  
Hari unconsciously gripped the binding of his book more tightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yep!" Momiji spun around. "I didn't follow them all the way up there, the snow was still pretty deep, but when I left, I thought I saw a snow plow heading that way. We could probably go out there as early as tomorrow morning."

Hari looked down thoughtfully. If that were the case, he could finally give attention where it was due, especially since Akito was being difficult about her condition. She'd refused any further treatment on the matter with her dream, continually insisting that she remembered nothing. "Very well," he conceded. "We'll try going out in the morning."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The front room was empty, playing cards practically scattered across the table where they'd been flung in surprise. All seemed quiet. But outside, slight murmurs of excitement filled the air.

"Did you see that," Arisa asked, leaning forward, away from the porch. Tohru, Haru, and Yuki both leaned towards the direction she pointed, squinting in the dim light.

"Head lights," Haru spoke up. He leaned out further, holding onto a supporting beam. "Let's go see what's going on. Maybe they finally got a plow out here."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Akito sat on her bed, her mind more at peace as she thought about Tohru Honda. She wasn't sure why that girl had this affect on her, like a band aide or antiseptic. Was this the same effect she had on the others? Could she, in fact, help them all, save them from this? She wasn't sure. It felt like almost too much to really hope it was possible, but that girl had worked her silent magic on Akito once again, pushing the dark snakes of her nightmares away. What was it about her that did that?

But still, out of the corner of her mind, there was that woman on the pavement, lifeless. But, perhaps, there was something she could do about that now. Akito squared her shoulders to face her. "I don't know who you are," she told her. "But you need to stop haunting me. You are nothing to me and have no power over me."

She almost felt Tohru's small hand in hers, squeezing tightly in support. Was this something she could have someday? Her complete and total friendship? Was it something she really wanted? She wasn't sure. But as she closed her eyes, her dreams were ordinary dreams and she slept in peace.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I want to tell him," Tohru said as she went up the stairs, the others following behind her. "And Hana. Soon we can have milk and other things in the house again."

Yuki smiled as he followed up the stairs. Though why everyone was following her was entirely beyond him. It just felt natural somehow, he supposed.

Tohru stood in front of Kyo's room, the door closed. "Um," she hesitated, "maybe we should wait?" She glanced questioningly at Yuki. "Maybe he doesn't want be disturbed, like he's asleep or something."

Haru rolled his eyes and pushed to the front of the group, sliding the door open. "Hey, Kyo…." He trailed off. There was silence for a moment while everyone else wondered what he was seeing. Finally, he spoke again. "Rin?" He stood there in shock, staring at the tall, dark haired girl sitting across the room on Kyo's bed. He seemed totally oblivious to Hana, who was in his way.

"What's going on," Arisa asked from the back of the group. "Why's everyone just standing there?" She tried to peer over everyone, brushing up against Tohru who tried to not bump into Yuki or Haru.

"Good evening," Hana said from inside the room. "It would seem that we have been discovered so you might as well all come in." She moved aside to let them in, Haru almost falling into the room in his astonishment. He walked over to the bed like a man suddenly seeing the light after being in the dark for years, afraid it wasn't real.

Yuki pushed into the room next, heading for the further side of the room, scattering a few photos with his bare feet. Tohru and Arisa were right behind him, but Tohru's eyes were on Kyo. Arisa's eyes were on the floor, staring at the pictures, her eyes wide. "What's going on," she asked in a confused tone.

"Kyo," Tohru almost squeaked as she went over to him. It was hard to not notice that his face was somewhat red and mottled, his teeth gritted. "Kyo, are you all right?" She knelt down beside him, reaching out a hand towards him.

"We think he broke his ankle," Hana spoke up, seeing the half fear in Kyo's eyes, feeling the mixed feelings rolling off of him. "I heard a noise as I was coming back downstairs and decided to investigate. Apparently he was caught by surprise and fell." She looked remorseful as she said the last bit, covering her smooth lying with a wave of her hand.

"Kyo," Tohru said quietly as she looked down at his decidedly red and swollen ankle. She wondered, vaguely, where the wraps for it were and why he wasn't wearing them.

Arisa looked up from her staring, looking at Hana in shock. "What's going on here? And why are there photos of Kyoko everywhere?"

Tohru's head jerked up at the mention of her mother's name. Yuki also snapped attention to Arisa, his expression hard to read, a mix of shock, confusion, and horror. Haru and Rin didn't pay attention to anyone else as they stared at each other without speaking. It was hard to read their expressions.

"Here," Hana said as she handed a photo to Tohru, which she took in trembling hands.

"Where…?" Tohru's voice shook. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at her mother's face. "How? Hana?" She looked up at her friend's face for an explanation.

Kyo let out an exclamation of surprise. "Hey!" he began. "Don't cry!" He hesitated to reach out a hand. "Come on," he begged. "Don't cry. If I'd known you'd react this way, I wouldn't have accept them from Shishou."

Haru finally looked up from staring at Rin, his gaze focused on Kyo. The note he'd found suddenly weighed a ton in his mind, becoming all to clear. It hadn't been about Kyo at all. He looked away guiltily.

Yuki stared at his cousin, unable to come up with anything to say. Arisa stared, her mouth slightly agape in her surprise. Hana's face remained impassive as she watched everyone's reactions.

Tohru continued to cry, clasping the photo in one hand. She was so overwhelmed she didn't know what else to do. Part of her wanted to just go up and hug him for all she was worth, but a small part of her kept reminding her that that would be a bad idea right now, with everyone there watching. Something like that wouldn't be kept a secret long. She was slightly surprised when Hana was suddenly hugging her from behind, like she somehow knew she needed one.

Kyo hung his head. He couldn't look at her. The floodgates had opened and now he knew. There was no way this could be salvaged. He knew it would happen this way. Hot shame burned through him and he gritted his teeth.

Tohru sobbed, then looked up at Kyo. She gasped. "Kyo, I'm sorry. Are you in pain?" She dashed her unbandaged hand across her eyes to try and stop the tears, concern transferred away from herself.

Kyo looked up in surprise, his eyes wide and slightly wet, though he didn't let any more tears fall. "What?"

Tohru had to sniffle. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm so selfish. But when I saw my mom, I was so overwhelmed that I forgot that you're probably in pain. I'm so sorry!"

"Eh…." Kyo leaned against the bed, very uncomfortable. He clearly had no idea how to react to this.

"Maybe we should give them a little space," Yuki spoke up from his corner, glancing quickly at Arisa and Hana. Haru and Rin were no longer paying attention, or so it seemed.

Arisa moved slowly, like she were under water, her expression unreadable. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Hana?" She glanced at her friend without seeing her, slowly backing to the door. Yuki felt just as reluctant to leave, but he somehow knew it would be wise to do so.

"Maybe we could finish our game…?" Yuki said absently as he tried to not stare at Kyo and Tohru, now forgetting that there were others in the room.

Hana stood smoothly, releasing Tohru from her arms. "Yes, we should do that," she said, though she knew she hadn't been part of that game. She could tell from what the waves in the room were telling her, that it was probably a very good idea for everyone to leave. She knew that if they didn't, they might need some intervention of the kind many would not like because it would involve too many people. Something would eventually slip out.

She was the last to leave the room, sliding the door closed on the couple still inside, wishing them luck. And all this time, Kyo still stared at Tohru in a kind of surprised strangled way, like he couldn't' believe what he'd heard her say. Once the door was closed, it was almost as if someone had pushed a play button somewhere, unfreezing everything.

"Tohru," Kyo began, "I…. You…" He hung his head. "You're not selfish. You're the least selfish person I know. There's no need for you to apologize. I'm the one who should be doing that."

Tears continued to well in Tohru's eyes. "But…. Kyo," she whispered. "You're hurt and…"

"But nothing," he said. "I'm the one who should be apologizing because I'm the one who made you cry."

Tohru's eyes went larger as she stared at his downcast face, his hands lying in his lap, his swollen ankle. "But, Kyo… I only cried because I was happy!" He looked up, again startled. "I never had a lot from my mom's past and being able to see her…. It makes me so happy!"

Hope stirred in his heart, hope like what he'd felt that day so long ago when she'd accepted him, once again, despite his original form. He found himself wondering at it as she tried to brush tears away once again. "But… your mom…." He couldn't finish the sentence.

This time Tohru didn't hold back, almost flying towards him to wrap her arms around him, despite the taboo of such an act. She felt him in her arms for brief moment, then was momentarily blinded by a burst of smoke. When the haze had cleared, she was holding the orange cat in her arms, cradling him gently against her. "Remember what I said… back then? I always want us to be together, to eat our meals together, to play together… I don't want to ever be without you." She smiled at him through her tears.

Kyo felt a strange swelling in his heart that made him feel like he would burst. How was it that every time, she somehow managed to change everything? Accept him again and again, without question? How was it that she kept saving him, of all people? He knew he didn't deserve her, though she didn't seem to care. He decided to just accept it. He snuggled to her, curling his head against her chest. "Yeah," he said quietly, thoughtfully. "Yeah, me too. Me too."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hari shaded his eyes from the snow glare as he rounded the last corner before Shigure's house. He let out an almost silent sigh of relief as he pulled the car into a clear space to park. Momiji had been right. They had finally plowed the long drive to Shigure's house.

Shigure looked out from the passenger seat. "It still stands," he said in his own brand of relief. "My house still stands, after everything it's been through. So good to be home."

Momiji was the first out of the car, though, almost jumping out in his excitement to get to the door. "Come on! Come on,' he urged. The other two followed a little more slowly, Hari with his doctor's bag in hand. The car doors closed loudly in their ears. No sounds came from the house as they approached it.

Shigure grinned sheepishly as he stood by the door. "I almost feel like I should knock," he said but reached to open the door anyway. "Well, shall we?"

They entered the main entryway, closing and opening doors behind them as they entered the main living area, which was also quiet. "Where is everybody," Momiji wondered.

"A very good question," Hari intoned, looking around at the bedding on the floor.

"Hello?" Shigure called out. "Anyone home? I'm back!" He removed his shoes, the others following his example. He pushed his way to the kitchen. "No one's in here," he reported, coming back out. "Maybe they're upstairs?"

The three tromped upward in single file, stopping at the top to listen. Down the hall, Kyo's door was open, light spilling out into the hallway. "That way," Shigure pointed and headed to the open doorway. He called out as he went.

"We're in here," Tohru's sweet voice came back to them as they reached the entryway.

Shigure gaped in the doorway. "Well, I'll be…" he managed to get out as he looked inside.

Haru and Rin were sitting, once again, on the bed, with the others sitting on the floor around the room, Hana with Arisa, and Tohru with Kyo nearby.

Momiji pushed his way into the room. "Tohru!" he cried out joyously. "You're all right!" He moved forward as if to hug her but Kyo stopped him.  
"Remember where you are," Kyo said in his usual grouchy voice, indicating Arisa mainly, though he tried to gesture only in the two friends' direction to not single anyone out.

Momiji stopped himself, rocking back on his heels with a smile. "Oh right!"

Hatori entered the room next, his eyes probing the faces in front of him, most especially looking at Rin, Tohru, and Kyo. "Hello, Hatori," Tohru chirped at him. "My hand's doing a lot better now, and Rin says she feel better too, but you might want to look at Kyo. We think he broke his ankle for sure."  
Hari looked critically at the cat, noting Kyo's face was slightly pale from suppressing the pain. He switched to Rin's face, checking her usual pallor as well. He nodded. "Very well." He brought out his back, kneeling to reach Kyo on the floor. "Let's see what you've done."

Kyo almost reluctantly moved his ankle out for inspection, glad, in a way, that they'd gone ahead and wrapped it last night, after he'd once again returned to his usual human self. At least Hari couldn't complain about that point, he thought as the older cousin began unwinding the cloth they'd used.

Shigure came into the room, finally, and went up to Yuki. "Yuki, how did you all manage to not wreck my house? I'm admit, I'm very shocked and surprised to see it still standing."

Yuki rolled his eyes. "Like we'd try to destroy our only shelter," he mumbled. "What you should really be grateful for is that we're all still relatively in one piece, though the cupboards could certainly use filling. We're just about out of everything."

Hari made a slight noise as he finished unrolling the bandages around Kyo's ankle, an exclamation of surprise. "Why didn't you call me?" He had to wave Momiji aside as he tried to get into his light. Kyo tried to stop his own groans of pain as Hatori tried to ascertain the damage.

"Well," Tohru spoke up before anyone else could, "it was so late. I guess we didn't think about it. After all, we didn't know when you'd be able to come or anything so we tried to do our best with what we had here."

Hari let out a sigh. "You'll probably need a cast for this," he said. "But without X-Rays, I'm not sure how bad the damage is, but I'm fairly certain I can set the bone without, but it will hurt. You'll need to come by today so that I can fit you in a cast."

Kyo ground his teeth a bit. "Just do it already," he growled. Tohru slipped her hand into his as Hatori rotated his foot. Kyo let out a gasp of pain; squeezing Tohru's hand hard enough to make her bite her lip, but not hard enough to break the skin. He was panting with the effort, sweat beading up on his forehead as Hatori isolated the appendage with some splints he had in his back, wrapping it back up in the bandages.

"You'll want to take something for the pain," he advised, seeing how white the boy had gone under his tan. "And you'll need to stay off it as much as possible for the next several weeks or it won't heal properly. Luckily, the snow should be clearing out soon so there shouldn't be any trouble, but you'll probably want to use crutches."

Kyo didn't have the energy to complain about that prospect as he leaned against the wall, eyes closed from the pain. But this pain definitely felt healthy, unlike his earlier pain from the previous week. He'd get over this soon.

"Let's look at your hand," Hari said to Tohru as she watched Kyo anxiously. She turned her attention to Hatori and put her hand out for him to look at. He took a moment to remove the bandages, then moved her hand in the light to see how the cuts had healed.

"You've pulled at the stitches," he admonished, "but I don't see any reason not to remove them now that they're mostly healed." Tohru nodded and he took out the necessary tools.

"I think we should probably consider leaving soon," Hana said, speaking for the first time since Hari and the others had arrived. "With the roads clear, I'm sure our families will want to know we're safe."

Arisa looked up at her friend, and after a moment, realized what she was trying to do. "Yeah. My apartment probably needs to be aired out by now so I guess we'll let ourselves out." She waved at Tohru and the others as she followed Hana out.

Momiji watched them go without comment, then returned his attention to Hari as he pulled the stitches from Tohru's hand. "Come on, Momiji," Yuki said, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go see about finding something to eat. None of us have had breakfast yet. Perhaps you could help me bring something from the store?"

Momiji jumped up. "Sure." And he was following his older cousin out the door.

Hari stood up from his kneeling position. "That should just about do it," he said as he slipped his scissors back into his bag, then looked to Rin. "Now, what about you?"

Rin looked up at him defiantly. "I'm fine," she said.

"All the same," Hari interrupted, "I'd feel better making sure." He turned to Tohru. "Do you mind if we use your room for a moment? I don't know that it would be wise to ask Kyo to move at the moment."

Tohru nodded her assent and Hari motioned for Rin to follow him out, leaving Haru, Kyo and Tohru alone. Rin almost stamped her foot as she stood but obediently left as requested.

"Ugh," Haru said as he leaned back on the pillows. "I'm so glad this is almost over. It'll be nice to get back home." Tohru glanced up at him with wide eyes. "I can't wait for things to go back to normal." He added as explanation.

Kyo tried to move from his perch but Tohru wouldn't let him. "Yeah right, normal."

"Well," Haru amended, "As normal as anything gets when you're a Sohma."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

And so it came to be that things settled down once more at the home of Shigure Sohma. Tohru was once again able to go about the house without worrying about whether someone would try to limit her activities because of her hand. Yuki made some resolutions in his mind about things he needed to do. Rin returned to her home, vowing that she wouldn't do anything too foolish, at least for a while.

Haru followed after her, glad that she was more of her usual self. Momiji and Hari left, satisfied that things would work out. And Kyo hobbled around for a few weeks, constantly getting mad at his crutches, but enduring them with as much good humor as he could muster, relying on Tohru more than he'd ever done so before and feeling every bit uncomfortable about it.

Even Akito was no longer plagued by disturbing dreams, having found a source of at least temporary peace. Everything had returned to normal. Well, at least as normal as things are when you're a Sohma.


End file.
